χειρ

New blog

2010-11-29T16:27:00.000-08:00

Content on this blog will remain unchanged, but please see my new blog, Signal Selection, for updated posts.

Reproduction, altruism, and evolution

2010-11-17T02:38:00.000-08:00

Haplodiploid sex determination operates within the hymenopterans, eusocial insect species used as living proof of Hamilton's theory of kin selection as an explanation for the origin of altruism. But there are other eusocial species where this is not a factor, most notably termites and mole rats. Why should these animals be apparently altruistic as well? I can only conclude that haplodiploid sex determination is an incomplete explanation for eusocial kin selection and altruism. It is hard to explain what a soldier termite gets from suicidal altruism, autothysis - it can only be that this self sacrificing behavior benefits kin selection all the same. There are less extreme examples of cooperation, such as cooperative breeding - "if we work together, more offspring will survive to reproduce". The Handicap principle is another explanation for altruism - "I can afford to be impressively wasteful with my resources, therefore I have better genes than most". The Handicap principle is altruism as a demonstration of fitness, a signal, and not entirely for its own sake as it is with the soldier termite whose altruism is not a signal, or means to an end, but an end in itself! "I die that the colony may live." I think that any animal capable of using altruism as a signal can also use altruism for its own sake, but not vice versa, as signals require a certain level of cognitive ability to decode that not all animals possess.

Let's tackle this from another angle and change our perspective - consider the situation from the level of individual cells. A multicellular organism such as a human is composed of billions of cells that are "born" and die, most of which are non-reproductive. So we may easily consider eusocial species to operate as a super-organism, as the single organism and the single insect colony are largely similar. Kin selection operates within my body just as it does clearly in the insect colony. If an animal cannot physically reproduce, how is it any different from a non-reproductive cell within my body? Each, colony and human, operates as the basic unit of sexual reproduction. E.O. Wilson earlier made this same comparison. Are my body cells therefore altruistic, just like the soldier termite? I think so. This analogy allows me to make the following proposition: altruism as an end in itself is something that primarily occurs within the basic unit of sexual reproduction, whereas altruism as a means to another end (as a signal, or handicap) primarily occurs between units of sexual reproduction. Although some have suggested that humans are eusocial, that society forms a super-organism, we are no where near the borg-like eusocial insects, the hymenopterans and termites. Our altruism is at least as well explained by the handicap principle as it is by kin selection. (Besides, if you're helping someone closely related, is it really altruism?) But more to the point I think kin selection and the handicap principle are capable of operating in parallel due to the different processes they affect. Kin selection is natural selection, whereas the handicap principle, so far as altruism is concerned, is sexual selection (a special case of natural selection).

Sexual Selection

2010-11-16T02:50:00.000-08:00

Over this last weekend I read Tor Norretranders' book The Generous Man: how helping others is the sexiest thing you can do. No, it wasn't because I was browsing the sex/self help section of the library. I found a reference to it after searching for more information about Zahavi and altruism online. (Another book about the evolutionary origins of altruism, The Altruism Equation, was not as engaging.) The main point Tor makes is that Darwin developed two ideas concerning the evolution of species: natural selection and sexual selection. Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, but later published The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex in 1871. The second part of this second work contains 550 pages about sexual selection. (This is something I really should read.) Zahavi's work a hundred years after Darwin's publication of his ideas spurred a re-examination of the field, which has produced an ever-accelerating number of theories.

Tor makes the case that as humans, we owe what makes us truly unique among species to the process of sexual selection, which operates according to Zahavi's Handicap principle; natural selection alone could never account for humanity. The first part of the book seemed to confirm much of what I already knew. Part of the fun was recognizing the names of scientists that I had come across before and seeing them joined together in common cause to elucidate a single idea between the covers of one book. But the last few chapters contained some interesting predictions. Take this one for example: "Computers and robots will have to learn about hau, about generosity, and in the final analysis, about sex." (p293). Definitely thought provoking!

Tor is a Danish author of books about science and its role in society. The Generous Man was published in 2002 and later translated into English in 2005 after enjoying success in Europe. He writes in an easy to read and engaging style. The book is basically an homage to Zahavi's Handicap principle as it applies to sexual selection and altruism. And that is what makes it GREAT! He applies the concept to ideas that even Zahavi might be reluctant to pair it with, but that is all part of the fun.

Amotz Zahavi

2010-11-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't forgotten the importance of Amotz Zahavi's contribution to our understanding of evolution, which I only mentioned in passing earlier. Evolutionary concepts are fascinating when one realizes the powerful and wide ranging implications they have. Take for example Gould's paper "The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme" (1979) or Trivers paper "Parent-Offspring Conflict" (1974). To these add Zahavi's "Mate selection - a selection for a handicap" (1975).

Amotz Zahavi elaborates this theory even more in his book The Handicap Principle: a missing piece of Darwin's puzzle. Specifically in chapter 12 "Babblers, competition for prestige, and the evolution of altruism", he demonstrates that when an animal acts altruistically, it handicaps itself - assumes a risk or endures a sacrifice - not primarily to benefit its kin or social group but to increase its own prestige within the group and thus signal its status (and fitness) as a partner or rival. "Altruistic acts obviously demonstrate - and are perceived as demonstrating - the abilities of those who perform them." (p225)

What does this say about religion, which may be a handicap itself? Or Aristotle's virtue of magnanimity, or Guy Laliberté (known for throwing the best parties), or romantic overtures (whose goal is often copulation)? I think it sheds light on all of them.

It is interesting to note that the two competing theories explaining the origin of altruism are Zahavi's Handicap principle, and W. D. Hamilton's "kin selection" theory. It appears that Hamilton's theory is more popular among evolutionary biologists, although it is not without problems. The subject remains unresolved. Here is a video of Arabian babblers, and a lecture by Zahavi.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

2010-10-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

The events of 9/11 forced Ayaan Hirsi Ali to examine her beliefs; in May 2002 she realized that she was atheist (Infidel, chap. 14, Leaving God) and that in practice she had left God years ago. If one assumes, with Hirsi Ali, that the goals of religion are "to be a better and more generous person", then the motivation toward atheism comes from the realization that the methods of religion are not suited to promoting this worthwhile goal.

There has been some disagreement on the origins of what has come to be called New Atheism, the greater visibility of atheism in popular culture and the media with notable authors such as Dawkins and Hitchens, that began around 2004. Richard Norman is quoted by Caspar Melville, of the New Humanist, as saying that the impulse began with 9/11. Melville's article, which seems to have arisen out of Melville's own inability to discern any positive direction from new atheism, has been criticized by several bloggers. This point in particular was dissected by Aratina. After reading Hirsi Ali, I'd like to weigh in as well with an entry of my own.

Did it begin with 9/11? Undoubtably 9/11 had a very polarizing effect. For some authors such as Hirsi Ali and Sam Harris, it was a clarion call to defend reason and a confirmation of their own stance on religion (though many other authors needed no such confirmation at all). The question can put another way: Without 9/11, would new atheism exist? I think that it would, because 9/11 is not an isolated example of the negative impact religion has had on society. If one were to cull all references to 9/11 from the books and other works of the new atheists and their supporters, you would only have removed a very small fraction of the material. Unfortunately, the grievances against religion are far more numerous than a single event in 2001. (Is it worth mentioning that the destruction of the twin towers of the world trade center in New York was foreshadowed by the destruction of the twin Buddha statues at Bamiyan?) Additionally, each of the authors built upon the success and awareness raised by the others. As the books came out in relatively quick succession they were able to ride the same wave, pushed a little higher by the publication of each book.

I would miss an important aspect of new atheism if I didn't mention that it is defined not just by the popularity of the recent authors, but notably that a significant portion of these authors place emphasis on a scientific perspective, where the question of God is treated as a testable hypothesis (that fails), and demonstrating the importance of evolutionary thought in better at explaining the origin and nature of humans. In this regard, Norman is right in that it does appear to address Christian fundamentalism, which denies science preferring instead a literal interpretation of the Bible. The first Age of Enlightenment was built upon the realization that evidence and the methods of science could lead to a surer foundation for knowledge and progress, so it is encouraging to see these tools employed by the new atheists in the service of reason again. Another point is that new atheism wouldn't even exist as we know it without the online community of nonbelievers that has come together and flourished as organically as the Internet itself (see Aratina's post for a more full description of this aspect).

As I mentioned much earlier, I denied my religious belief in May of 2001. For myself and many former believers, it was a significant decision not made lightly, and I recorded the date and exact reasoning that led to it. This was obviously four months before September 2001, so I had no knowledge of what would happen later that year. It is interesting to note for myself, that my infidelity with religion predates Hirsi Ali's, which became famous several years ago after the publication of her book, Infidel. I do not know anyone whose views became atheist after 9/11 that wouldn't have come to this conclusion of their own accord without any additional impulse from that tragic event. Incidentally, reading Hirsi Ali has been a pleasure, she is capable of conveying a wide range of emotion- an epilogue to her most recent book Nomad is titled “Letter to my unborn daughter” and it is very moving.

tanked

2010-10-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

I have a 20 gallon aquarium with low light loving bushy plants, driftwood, and active rosy barbs and Buenos Aires tetras. I had considered putting other fish into the mix, but these small colorful, active, pugnacious (they say, semi-aggressive), archetypal, little fish are very fun to watch. I also have a 10 gallon tank with a wakin goldfish and a Shubunkin goldfish, “rescued” from the feeder fish tank at the petshop. I had a wakin goldfish in the past (as well as rosy barbs). Both tanks are at a nice equilibrium right now, but if I find another wakin goldfish for less than a dime and a nickel, the temptation to buy may be too great.

Christopher Hitchens

2010-10-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

After reading Dawkins, I was eager to scan a few more books from popular new atheist literature. I had borrowed from the library a copy of Christopher Hitchens' The Portable Atheist, and God is Not Great. My joy at reading these inspiring works is mixed with the sad realization that they aren't being more widely read and discussed. History may well record these authors as positioned near the beginning of a new enlightenment, emerging as it does from unprecedented levels of ignorance in contemporary society. I only read Hitchens' introduction to The Portable Atheist and a few of the authors included in this compilation, such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali (whose face is piercingly beautiful and whose words gave me goose bumps). In God is Not Great I read just five chapters (I really should read the rest of the book sometime). Now, whereas Dawkins shines forth in his writing through his intimate knowledge of science, Hitchens is clearly a writer par excellence capable of painting images on the canvas of the mind. His face as seen in photographs often appears to carry a dour expression, but like Dawkins, his writing reveals a much more charitable personality than you'd otherwise expect.

Hitchens explains that the term atheist is very useful, if only because we are emerging from a social past in which theism has been used to control all aspects of life. (The Portable Atheist, xx) Perhaps no author makes the actual extent to which this control went more clear than Sam Harris in The End of Faith. His descriptions of the atrocities are worse than anything I can imagine. The positive view of atheism, to which I wholeheartedly subscribe, is well explained by Hichens: “...atheists have always argued that this world is all that we have, and that our duty is to one another to make the very most and best of it.” (PA, xvi)

Delving into the nuances of the atheist stance, Hitchens writes: “And here is the point, about myself and my co-thinkers. Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason. We may differ on many things, but what we respect is free inquiry, openmindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake.” (GNG, p.5)

I think one underlying fear held by religious people (correct me if I am wrong religious people out there!) is that all atheists would be happy to eliminate religion and relegate it to the dustbin of history. But near the beginning of each of Hitchens' books that I read, he is careful to present his views on this: “...religion is so much a part of our human or animal nature that it is actually ineradicable. This, for what it may be worth, is my own view.” (PA, xxiii) “Religious faith is, precisely because we are still evolving creatures, ineradicable. It will never die out, or at least not until we get over our fear of death, and of the dark, and of the unknown, and of each other. For this reason I would not prohibit it even if I thought I could.” (GNG, 12) Indeed, why prohibit what comes naturally? Leaving religion should be an informed personal decision, just as entering it should be. Hitchens' also addresses a concern much more relevant to me, and probably many religious folk as well, that without belief life loses its “awareness of the numinous or the transcendent”. But by squarely looking at the facts of existence- that we are merely animals with organs that will fail all too early within our short lifespans- I take comfort. The facts allow me a rational basis for effective action. False notions will do nothing for me. “There can be no serious ethical position based on denial or a refusal to look the facts squarely in the face.” (PA, xxii) Two excellent books by Hitchens, highly recommended (if only for the content which I reviewed).

The God Delusion

2010-10-25T01:19:00.000-07:00

Richard Dawkins, and the new atheists in general, have a reputation for nastiness. Having read Dawkins' book “The God Delusion”, I say such a reputation couldn't be more ill deserved. Before reading the book, the title sounds antagonistic, but after finishing the book, it only sounds like a well reasoned and entirely appropriate conclusion. Even after the first few pages I had to revise the mental image I had of the man, he is much more kind and took a more balanced approach to his subject than I had anticipated! Of note, I found the sections on the origins of morality (page 219 gives an interesting example of Arabian babblers, little brown birds that compete for costly and dangerous roles) and the inspiration of nature (page 362) to be particularly interesting. I also enjoyed the frequent references to primary sources in science, literature, and religion. There is a lot to recommend reading this book.

It is not the only, nor probably the best, reason for a person to leave their religion, but Dawkins summarized the very basic reason why I left religion (page 282):

Fundamentalists know they are right because they have read the truth in a holy book and they know, in advance, that nothing will budge them from their belief. The truth of the holy book is an axiom, not the end product of a process of reasoning. The book is true, and if the evidence seems to contradict it, it is the evidence that must be thrown out, not the book.

Despite my honest belief, I came to realize that I valued reasoning over axioms. It is simply the more responsible approach. And when that reasoning does not lead to one's professed axioms, deconversion is virtually inevitable. These are my own words from early 2001 (note the similarity to those of Dawkins' above):

There is nothing wrong with believing a doctrine, the will to believe requires no justification, but if a doctrine is considered inviolable against the inquisitive nature, the very thing that suggested its possibility in the first place, then any further possibilities that are suggested will have to either accord with it or be rejected, although it may be more appropriate to question the primacy of the doctrine itself.

Dawkins makes reference on several occasions to an idea that Dennett put forth: belief in belief. For some time after I wrote that, and even now, though I do not believe as I did before, I do at times believe in some form of belief. It isn't that I dislike belief, so much as that I earnestly value reasoning. (And as it is wont to do, reasoning often stands at odds with cherished beliefs.) Anyone one who feels the same will find a kindred spirit in this book.

John Lennon

2010-10-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

If John Lennon were still alive he would've been 70 yesterday; he died in 1980 when he was 40 years old. I watched The U.S. vs. John Lennon, which seemed as good a way as any to celebrate his birth. The radio station played “Nowhere Man”, a song Lennon wrote about himself, and no review of his life would be complete without mentioning the song “Imagine”. Lennon believed in peaceful revolution and advocated for human rights, especially where he saw their abuse. It's all there in his song, here's the message, paraphrased: Imagine no religion, no countries, nothing to kill or die for; no possessions, greed or hunger. Imagine sharing all the world, living for today, in peace. I wonder what Lennon would've said had he lived? His song is probably the most widely recognized in the world, a dream countless people still aspire to.

But Lennon's life was not a fairy tale. He didn't really know his parents. He seems to have been very abusive of people close to him in his earlier years. His affair with Yoko Ono (who herself faced hardship in early life) led to leaving his first wife and son, whose existence was kept secret to protect his career. While with Ono she and John became burned out from drugs, quacks, emotional breakdowns and media attention. His relationship with Ono was inconstant: she had relationships with gigolos, and at her suggestion he had an affair with their personal assistant May Pang for several years. Mark Chapman, who shot him in 1980, was obsessed by Salinger's book The Catcher in the Rye. Salinger himself was interested in a litany of spiritual, medical, and nutritional belief systems. All told, it makes for a pretty messy story. But out of all this there was produced moments of beauty, and many people found inspiration.

omafiets

2010-10-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

So you want a comfortable bike to take you around town nimbly balanced on two wheels? Forget recumbents. Omafiets, Dutch for "grandmother's bike" are the gold standard for comfort. According to Mark Sanders, bicycle designer, a bolt upright riding posture is better than one leaning over to reach the handlebars. Though not news to me, his accompanying photo was interesting because one of my big aspirations is to go on a cross country road trip by bike. (And even if that never happens, I am still taking a lot of local bike trips.) In his article Sanders was only considering upright bikes, but omafiets seem to come out on top even against recumbents. The best recumbents I have ridden (and only recently does that statement carry any weight- see my report on Angletech) are the short wheel base "stick recumbents". These bikes, like the Challenge Mistral or the Bacchetta Giro, are beautiful. But while comfortable for short rides, exercising while in a very recumbent position can lead to minor numbness in one's feet, and to keep a relatively low seat height these bikes have 20 inch front wheels. An omafiets has large 28 inch wheels that better smooth out irregularities in rough terrain. But so can "crank forward" bikes, particularly those made by RANS. However after reading about omafiets, RANS crank forward bikes seem to be a more expensive solution to a problem that doesn't exist, or if it does it is only because omafiets aren't widely enough known by or available to American riders. Everything about omafiets are utilitarian, and they don't have more gears than you really need.

I am about as far away from the Netherlands as one can get, so what are my options? Probably the easiest thing I could do is try to assemble my own omafiets from different parts, beginning with the right size and shape of frame, handlebars, seat and wheels. (According to some people, omafiets are similar to cruiser/comfort/leisure bikes, but there are often differences in frame geometry.) I can also stay abreast of information from Velovision, prodigious bloggers like The Lazy Randonneur, and read Peter Eland's book "Practical Bike Buyer's Guide". So will an omafiets make a good cross country bike? I think so, they can easily be fitted with front and rear racks for carrying gear, so it looks like a good fit all around! I wonder how many miles in the saddle I can log in one year? BTW, if you look at other countries besides the Netherlands where bikes are a primary form of transportation you see the same general form. For example, Japanese "mamachari" bikes are similar if not identical to many omafiets.

If you want to delve any further into the minutiae of Dutch bikes, there are also "opafiets" (grandpa bikes), the picture above is a bike of this variety. At the linked page is an image showing the shape of the handlebars, an important feature of any oma or opafiets.

La Mettrie

2010-10-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

"L'homme machine" or "Man the Machine" was written in 1748 by Julien Offray de La Mettrie. It is described as an important contribution to the development of the Age of Enlightenment, but leaving its historical context aside for the moment, it contains many interesting ideas which I will try to summarize.

La Mettrie, a physician, allows only the use of facts and observations derived through experimentation to describe the human body. From this approach he concludes that it is a machine, though admittedly a very complex machine that is initially impossible to get a clear idea of, and therefore to define. It is only the arrangement of our parts that distinguishes one person from another, or a person from an animal, plant, or anything else. Observation leads La Mettrie to conclude that animals think, are intelligent, and feel repentance and shame just as humans. A materialistic explanation can even be extended to illuminate the causes of criminal acts. Indeed, all things have materialistic explanations for La Mettrie. Our abilities as well as our limitations can be ascribed to our material organization; it is our ignorance of them that has led us to use alternative explanations (usually supernatural). For La Mettrie, we exist simply to exist, but if there is a reason, then nature made us for pleasure first and to be happy, and secondarily to be educated (though he suggests that like Gould's classic article about the Spandrels of San Marco, our ability to learn may have only been accidental.)

There is one quote by La Mettrie that I cannot improve on by summarization, so I will include it's translation (full pdf paper):

There is nothing contradictory about
(1) being a machine and (2) being able to feel, to think and to tell right from wrong like telling blue from yellow; that is,
(1) being a mere animal and (2) being born with intelligence and a sure instinct for morality,
any more than there is about
•being an ape or a parrot and •being able to give oneself pleasure.
. . . .Who would ever have guessed in advance that a drop of liquid ejaculated in mating would give rise to such divine pleasure? or that there would be born from it a little creature who would be able one day, given certain laws, to enjoy the same delights? Thought incompatible with organised matter? That is so far from right, I believe, that thought seems to be a property of matter, like electricity, power to move, impenetrability, extension, etc.

In case this translation isn't clear, to La Mattrie, thought is not incompatible with organized matter, rather it is a property of it! Even 262 years later, we haven't solved that riddle yet. But imagine if we really acted as though we were aware that we are the purely physical machines he describes us as. What if we understood that we and all other things differ only in minor differences of organization, without any substantial differences at all. Small changes in organization can lead to large changes in appearance and behavior. Wouldn't we then be more sympathetic to our fellow men and creatures? La Mattrie certainly thought so:

Those haughty, vain, self-praising beings who are marked off by their pride more than by the label ‘men’ —are basically only animals and upright-crawling machines....
If only men would always show [as animals] the same gratitude for kindness and the same respect for humanity! Then we wouldn’t have to fear being met with ingratitude, or to fear these wars that are the scourge of the human race and the real hangmen of the law of nature.

Angletech

2010-09-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

While on vacation recently (a whole story in itself worth retelling) I visited one of the premiere recumbent dealers in the country, Angletech. In a span of a two hours I test rode the best bikes available:

Tour Easy (Fold Easy)
Rans Stratus XP
Rans Enduro Sport
Rans F5
Bacchetta Corsa
Challenge Seiran
Rans X-Stream
Challenge Fujin

I also rode the ICE B2, a bike somewhere between the Rans Enduro Sport and F5 in seat/crank reclination. The list is ordered from more upright to more laidback, which is the order in which I test rode the bikes, to find where my comfort zone really is. In the end, I liked the Rans Enduro Sport the best, which is a popular design for short wheelbase recumbent bikes. I was acutally surprised by this, as my limited recumbent riding led me to believe I was more of a Tour Easy guy. But after riding these bikes in sequence two times, the Tour Easy felt way too upright, like I had very poor power transfer to the pedals. After these recumbents, I rode the "Crank Forward" bikes:

Rans Fusion
Rans Dynamik
Rans Alterra

The Rans Dynamik was the best feeling to me, very comfortable. And last the tricycles:

Terratrike Rover
Terratrike Cruiser
ICE Adventure 3fs
ICE Sprint2
Greenspeed X5
ICE Vortex

I liked the ICE Sprint2 the best, it was low and had suspension. But the connection to the ground was not as nice as with the bikes, so the Rans Enduro Sport was the overall favorite of all that I tested. Who knows if a longer test period (weeks) would confirm these first impressions? It would be great to do that! And I would've loved to try the tandem recumbents, but after the lengthy test rides I had no willing participants.

All those were only a fraction of the bikes on the crowded display room floor, so the next day wondering if I'd missed a rare opportunity, I called back to see if Kelvin Clark, the owner, had any Cruzbikes like the Quest. He said he didn't, and furthermore gave good reasons why he though that if I had tried one, I wouldn't have liked it over and above the Enduro Sport that I selected as my personal favorite. Now as it was, I liked that bike for the sheer pleasure of the riding experience, but some people might value other characteristics at least as much, such as cargo capacity. Needless to say, there were bikes there designed to meet that need admirably as well. And finding one's personal “nirvana” on a bike is more than simply a factor of seat/crank height. For example, Rans created the Enduro as a response to consumer requests to lower the seat height on their popular V-Rex bike. The seat height felt right to me.

Bikes are vehicles, archetypal things that move us, but they require the attention of a navigator to steer a path. This isn't much different from life, where we must steer a path to avoid the shoals of disaster. Life is always in motion, and we are all going somewhere. It is obvious when riding a bike that one must be attentive to everything in the environment around them. Though it is less obvious, so too must one be attentive in life in order to get anywhere. This is one reason why I love riding a bike. I can really get around for very little energy, in fact I put more energy into paying attention to where I am going than I put into making the bike move!

(On the subject of how riding a bike increases one's attentiveness to the here and now, what about a sauna? Stepping into a very hot room, then stepping out into the cold bare naked makes one aware of the largest organ on their body – the skin.)

multilingualism

2010-09-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

Humans are essentially the same the world over, so what are the barriers to understanding and empathizing with one another? Physical appearance and cultural differences are one, and among the cultural differences a big one is the use of different languages. Without a translator, dictionary, or translation program to refer to, if you don't know the language you are helpless. The less foreign languages become a barrier, the more we will understand what makes the human experience unique for each of the six billion plus people on this planet, our only home. Foreign languages and literature is an interesting field. I can never know every one of us, but I should know more nonetheless. I'd like to be fluent in all forms of communication basic to human society and familiar with the information [for which] they were created to represent. Then I can call myself literate, a scholar, and an expert in any field I work in. I must admit I don't read enough English literature as it is.

attention

2010-09-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Life as it is, here and now, is as good as it gets. When something catches my attention and I want to turn toward it, I also turn away from the rest of my life. I have to be careful with my attention! (Zen contains a corollary message.) When I follow the necessity of transient circumstances, my life is best, and it flows more smoothly. By allowing myself to be receptive to the changing needs of life I become more accepting, appreciative, and compassionate. And my thoughts and actions reflect this attitude.

It used to be that we could only satisfy our basic needs; an ascetic lifestyle was the norm for our early ancestors. Then, when culture and technology rapidly changed our lifestyle, we learned how to satisfy almost any need we could imagine, faster than ever before. But we lack the native wisdom to know which desires should be satisfied and which should not, which impulses to act on and which to restrain. This wasn't a problem before, we simply couldn't satisfy most of our creative desires, so the temptation was much less. But now, in our instant gratification society, being careful with where we place our attention is more difficult than ever. Perhaps the contemplative traditions like Buddhism arose to remind us that it is now up to us to impose on ourselves the control that the environment can no longer exercise over us.

The last few days I knew that my circumstances necessitated that I attend to various work and chores, but I became infected with a desire to watch episodes of the television series "Firefly." It was easier to do this than my work, so I easily caved and watched them. While enjoyable, my work still needed to be done, only now I had even less time to do it in.

"To study Buddhism is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to become enlightened by all things."
"When other sects speak well of Zen, the first thing that they praise is its poverty."
"If he cannot stop the mind that seeks after fame and profit, he will spend his life without finding peace."
- Dogen

"My sermons are criticized by certain audiences. They say that my sermons are hollow, not holy. I agree with them because I myself am not holy. The Buddha's teaching guides people to the place where there is nothing special... People often misunderstand faith as kind of ecstasy of intoxication... True faith is sobering up from such intoxication."
- Kodo Sawaki

"No thought, no reflection, no analysis, no cultivation, no intention; let it settle itself."
- Tilopa

neurology of transcendance

2010-08-28T01:13:00.000-07:00

How does focusing on a perception of transpersonal experience affect the human brain? Many members of society want a vocabulary to talk about them and claim their benefits, but the terms used are imprecise and lacking in scientific accuracy. Maslow's famous hierarchy of needs from his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" placed such peak experiences of self-actualization at the top of his pyramid. Carl Sagan spoke eloquently of the inspiring nature of the cosmos, and "Einsteinian" religious sentiments are referenced by Dawkins frequently (he has also said that pantheism is "sexed up" atheism). More recently than that there has been talk about the "New Mysterium" in philosophical circles. I'll make a naive attempt to define what I mean.
To my understanding a "transpersonal experience" is one in which normal aspects of our physical reality seem to change, and we arrive at a perception of a "deeper" understanding of reality. This is like meta-cognition, in which you observe yourself and your thoughts from outside them. The qualities of your physical perception change; space, distance, and time may be perceived in different ways. Neural activity is altered.

Aside from theological dogma, most religious traditions originate with a founder who claims to have had some sort of transpersonal experience or "revelation". The founding religious community thus begun focuses on such experiences as evidence of the veracity of their beliefs. When any religion thereafter grows large enough it becomes difficult to demand of all the followers such experiences, and so mere conformity to their particular religious opinion suffices for membership. Jon Kabat-Zinn advocates a form of mindfulness meditation, while many indigenous peoples have traditionally held a position within the community for a shaman capable of entering trance-like states in which they claim to be able to do or become almost anything. Being in the "here and now" with Zinn's version of mindfulness meditation can confer a "unitive" connection with the world around us. (For example, when I quiet my thought and body I am able to experience peace, appreciate a realization that I am of the same substance as everything else; we are one. And sometimes, somehow, focusing in this way makes me feel good. And I want to spread that feeling.)

I would like to de-mystify the transpersonal experience and show that it is a very natural phenomenon, and perhaps an undervalued phenomenon. No actual supernatural abilities are involved, though the change in neural activity accompanying such perceptions is real and measurable. As human society moves from a supernatural to a scientific understanding of the world, I think there may be a risk of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater." A frequent topic among atheists, and in fact the subject of Dawkins' recent talk at UAF, is the evolutionary value of religious belief, or even more simply if there is any value in religion at all. Virtually every list of these will include something referring to the unified sense of community and socialization. I would also like to add mutual affirmation of a shared sense of transpersonal experience and identity. It may have been Dawkins who pointed out that this experience, for some, is one of generating a sense of "being in love." Among Christians at least, this should be of no surprise. Anyone familiar with Protestant or non-denominational churches is aware of the emphasis placed on God's love and the frequent reference to metaphors of romantic or familial love. In Buddhism, there are several meditation practices involving focusing on a sense of compassion for everything. No wonder people are drawn to religion, it is a popular forum for generating positive emotions of regard for self and others. Unfortunately many if not all religious/spiritual traditions become hitched to ill-informed dogma that discredits the genuinely positive effect of the altered neural states enjoyed by its members. If only this wasn't the case!

Tim Pychyl, in his work, has identified the existential nature of problems related to motivation and goal oriented behavior, specifically procrastination. I could entertain the idea that the generation of transpersonal experiences for self and others may be a primary objective in human life. This would mean that the massive amount of information generated by modern society may only be of use to such an end, and becomes increasingly inconsequential once such experiences are realized. The reclusive nature of certain religious orders of monks, nuns, and other ascetics and hermits would seem to bear this out as a widespread perception.

I'd like to avoid the charge of being a peddler of "woo" by stating I make no other claims than the reality of the subjective experiences of myself and others. I imagine I have, not entirely infrequently, enjoyed the natural phenomenon of these experiences myself. And of course, the vocabulary I use to describe it is insufficient in more ways than one since it touches on such intangible and nebulous concepts as a purpose or value of life. What I would like to do is see what role they can play in life. I have previously mentioned my sense at times, artificial though it may be, of feeling one with everything. I have also used auto-suggestion, like a verbal placebo, to enable myself to feel warmer and sleep better, whether the result was only illusory or not I don't know. The effect was that my brain was tricked (via the evolved mechanism of revelation or perhaps more accurately self-deception) into believing something that may have resulted in a corresponding change in my body and/or behaviors. I think this is a significant effect that can be very useful.

As they may just as well describe the idea behind mindfulness meditation, Feng Youlan's five main points of Ch'an bear repeating in connection with this topic:

The Highest Truth or First Principle is inexpressible.
“Spiritual cultivation cannot be cultivated.”
In the last resort nothing is gained.
“There is nothing much in the Buddhist teaching.”
“In carrying water and chopping wood: therein lies the wonderful Tao.”

Pretty spartan. What would impel anyone toward this? To sum, there is nothing known, cultivated, gained, or taught. All that is good is right here and now. Boooorring, right? But it is only in realizing that there is fundamentally no need to know, cultivate, gain, or teach that one can finally have a peace that “passeth understanding,” and a joy in sharing it with others. Because now, one is free and able to live in the moment, here and now, and drop the mental baggage. (The other powerful part is that I think there is reason to believe this will create actual measurable changes in neurological activity and behavior patterns.) Maybe I called this realization a transpersonal experience because I identify myself so much with my preconceptions that when I dispose of them all my ideas of who I am and where I begin or end change and/or disolve. Boundaries and distinctions are relaxed and lifted.

Maybe Dogen said it best in the first line of the Fukanzazengi: "The Way is basically perfect and all-pervading. How could it be contingent upon practice and realization?" That would seem to explain Zhuangzi's account of Lieh Tzu's behavior as well. In practice though, this statement prescribes no specific line of action at all- it is a reflection on the significance of whatever actions we engage in relative to our stated purposes. It's loaded with a lot of assumptions and steeped in a traditional view of life, an understanding of which may be helpful in describing its meaning. I might reword it as: it doesn't matter what you do or how hard you try, you can't improve on perfection, so just enjoy life. ( I am not the only one who sees some interesting parallels, superficial perhaps, between this and Christianity.) But what about when life is very dissatisfying? Can it ever be, even casually, associated with perfection? That is the danger of the word and idea that Dogen has exposed himself to. But when life is clearly not perfect or peaceful, there is still the opportunity to find it.

Directly experiencing our fundamentally positive world in which we can act naturally without preconceptions is Maslow's peak experience, and the great thing about it is that it is real, and we are free and able to enjoy it; we do not need anything else. It is the exquisite pleasure of a subtle truth. (I should put all this in outline form, getting too wordy here. So here's a try:)

Maslow's "peak experience of self-actualization" is here defined as seeing perfection in, and satisfaction with (or at least having a non-judgmental attitude toward) ordinary, transient life- life "as it is, here and now," which is accessible to everyone.
This accepting, appreciative attitude frees a natural tendency for compassion in thought and action, thereby satisfying what I consider to be "the human need."
Positive lifestyle and behavioral changes (even neurological changes) follow from meeting psychological needs, which results in improved health, less stress, and more peace.

scientific humility

2010-08-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

My earlier interest in the role of science resurfaced when I looked at the ideas of E. O. Wilson. He combines a depth of understanding with an ambitious and sweeping approach, making use of powerful quotes and sources along the way that make his works a pleasure to read. Wilson elevated the discipline of sociobiology, which he saw as bridging the gap between the humanities and the sciences in a new and revealing way. Gould, another scientific giant, denounced Wilson's approach, when applied to humans. The conflict between these two is interesting. When I encounter unresolvable conflicts like this, my tendency is to want to side-step the problem and approach it from a new angle. (Dawkins and Dennett have weighed in on this debate, though I have not read their conclusions yet.) Since my interest is in the role of science in changing our perception of the world, I remembered PZ Myers once hailed Jacob Bronowski as a particularly articulate popularizer of science. And indeed, he is:

"It's said that science will dehumanize people and turn them into numbers. That's false, tragically false. Look for yourself. This is the concentration camp and crematorium at Auschwitz. This is where people were turned into numbers. Into this pond were flushed the ashes of some four million people. And that was not done by gas. It was done by arrogance, it was done by dogma, it was done by ignorance. When people believe that they have absolute knowledge, with no test in reality, this is how they behave. This is what men do when they aspire to the knowledge of gods.

Science is a very human form of knowledge. We are always at the brink of the known; we always feel forward for what is to be hoped. Every judgment in science stands on the edge of error and is personal. Science is a tribute to what we can know although we are fallible. In the end, the words were said by Oliver Cromwell: "I beseech you in the bowels of Christ: Think it possible you may be mistaken."

I owe it as a scientist to my friend Leo Szilard, I owe it as a human being to the many members of my family who died here, to stand here as a survivor and a witness. We have to cure ourselves of the itch for absolute knowledge and power. We have to close the distance between the push-button order and the human act. We have to touch people."

Source: Jacob Bronowski, The Ascent of Man, Episode 11: "Knowledge or Certainty" (text or video)

Earlier, in his 1951 book The Commonsense of Science, Bronowski wrote: "It has been one of the most destructive modern prejudices that art and science are different and somehow incompatible interests". Bronowski and Wilson were trying to do the same thing, they were trying, in Wilson's words, to show the consilience of knowledge, though they do it in different ways. Wilson's critics believed he did not give due acknowledgment to the role of culture in explaining behavior, his approach was overly simplistic ("greedy reductionism"), and his conclusions on human nature were not entirely correct. Gould was aware that not only genes but also developmental constraints influence evolution – any explanation for human behaviour would inevitably be pluralistic in content. Wilson provides a materialistic explanation for the unity of knowledge that, for a variety of reasons, not everyone accepts. Bronowski provided an explanation for the unity of knowledge that roots it in our ethical sensibilities, and is far less controversial.

What I find most interesting about the extended quote above is that Bronowski, in humanizing the subject, turns a popular assumption of the role of science on its head. The most important role of science isn't to provide us with knowledge, it is to tell us that we do not have knowledge (any claims of knowledge must meet rigorous criteria), we do not have knowledge when often we suppose we do, and to show us why this is so. Science is the best tool we have for eliminating certainty. A dictatorship, like those during WWII, aspires to absolute knowledge and power - any doubt of its authority must be eliminated and prevented. Honest science cannot proceed under such constraints with artificial limitations imposed upon it. It depends on the freedom of ideas, so to Bronowski, the flourishing of science is the best hope to preventing future tragedies of the scale that had occurred in WWII. He does not believe they would have occurred if the people, and the leaders, were to ask themselves if they could be certain they were right, in light of the terrible cost of being wrong. The same effect results from science as can result from philosophy, rationalism, realism, and critical thinking. Science, the application of critical thinking to everyday human activities, is the antidote to the power of propaganda. Science does not make us arrogant, it can only humble us.

Satisficing: the cure for analysis paralysis

2010-08-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

I have a great family, a house, and I am part of a socially stabilizing effort assisting in the development of humankind toward a deeper understanding and appreciation for life. No one person does this alone. And yet, I have a problem. Lack of motivation? Obsessive-compulsive? Instant gratification impulsiveness? Inability to defer gratification to a later date? No. Perfectionism? Indecisiveness? Closer. As Dan Ariely puts it, "When we are choosing between two or more very similar options, we tend NOT to take into account the consequences of not deciding." In other sources, this situation is cleverly termed "analysis paralysis". My almost compulsive over analysis of some ideas came to my attention in a post dated 11 May 2010. (The following portion of this entry will borrow heavily from the most popular online reference, Wikipedia, paraphrasing liberally.)

Analysis paralysis describes the situation where a decision is treated as over-complicated, with too many detailed options; when a person seeks an optimal or "perfect" solution upfront, and fears making any decision which could lead to erroneous results. In the end a choice is never made, despite the alternative of trying something and changing if a major problem arises. In this example the opportunity cost of decision analysis exceeds the benefits that could be gained by enacting some decision.

Herbert Simon (who researched cognitive psychology, politics, sociology, and computer science, among other fields) defined two cognitive styles: maximizers who try to make an optimal decision, and satisficers who simply try to find a solution that is "good enough". Maximizers tend to take longer making decisions due to the need to maximize performance across all variables and make tradeoffs carefully; and some suggest they also tend to more often regret their decisions.

Simon coined the word satisfice in 1956. He pointed out that human beings lack the cognitive resources to maximize. A more realistic approach to rationality takes into account these limitations, this is called bounded rationality. Bounded rationality is the notion that in decision making, rationality of individuals is limited by:

the information they have (we usually do not know the relevant probabilities of outcomes),
the cognitive limitations of their minds (we can rarely evaluate all outcomes with sufficient precision and our memories are weak and unreliable), and
the finite amount of time they have to make decisions.

(Thus ends my liberal paraphrasing of Wikipedia.)

So what can I conclude from all this? Well, a rational person who adopts a realistic perspective is a satisficer; someone who recognizes that this kind of decisiveness is in the long run a more optimal solution than indecisiveness despite the initial appearance that it is a poor decision making strategy. (This reflects Tim Pychyl's anti-procrastination mantra "just get started.") Satisficers take an evolutionary approach to optimization, where some "accidental" solution is used so long as it works, and competing solutions are naturally selected such that the best ones are used and less optimal solutions either change or are no longer used. And in the final analysis, who is to say that an optimal solution exists (Zhuangzi had much to say on this subject)? Each solution has advantages and disadvantages, once the apparently worst options are removed, what remains may be qualitatively indistinguishable. Satisficers, and the process of evolution, both have no definite goal, or even a clear direction (in a sense). Perfectionists and maximizers do have a goal: making the optimal decision, and they insist on knowing what that is before they take any action. That is their weakness and eventual downfall.

Tags: decision making, indecisiveness, irrational delay, deferred gratification, analysis paralysis, satisficing, bounded rationality

tummo

2010-08-04T01:51:00.000-07:00

Is that Denali I see?

Ice water immersion. Yes, that's just like it sounds. In Finnish it is avantouinti. If I can't get a sauna, then this is what I can do this winter - cold water dousing also has the effect of elevating body temperature. The only problem is that it is difficult to keep a large tub of water from freezing solid in the winter here. But it's not impossible, I could insulate a large tub set in the ground, maybe even have a pump circulate it, but that's a lot of trouble to go through. I recall hearing about Tibetan monks who do a sort of meditation call “Tummo” in which they can raise their body temperature, especially that of hands and feet, to the point where they can stay outside in the cold, even drying wet sheets draped over their bodies. This practice is associated with the monk Naropa, Tibetan Buddhism, Tantric meditation, and Kundalini Yoga, but I think that consciously affecting thermoregulation is not a rare feat that requires special training in meditation. I would guess ordinary folks asked to concentrate on elevating their bodily heat though a kind of biofeedback involving visualization and relaxation are probably capable of doing it. And this is something I'd like to do, to help me keep a clear mind and good physical health as well as enjoy the outdoors. Wrapping a thin sheet over my skin could give me some level of protection from instant frostbite.

If I can develop an ability to generate heat and know my limits, then wearing only a fundoshi I would like to participate on Dontosai, January 14, in the annual hadaka mairi (written 裸参り in Japanese) at Takekoma Jinja in Japan. It would be a great experience! I believe it was in 2004, during a visit to Japan that I saw the festival at this shrine first hand. But first I am going to make my own outdoor shower, and use it until the first frost of the year.

My greenhouse plans had long since turned to “a plastic sheet covered metal pipe box barely five feet high”, and now my sauna plans have turned to me sitting outside baring my skin to the cold and wet. And these are my ideas for “the backbone of recreation during the summer and winter - outdoor oriented activities, play in the snow and cold, and in the summer watch plants grow and mold - social activities, to be shared and enjoyed in the company of others?” Yes, they are, and now it seems I have it all.

irrationality

2010-07-31T16:52:00.001-07:00

What comes to mind when you think of the word "irrational"? It has a very accusatory sound, and doesn't instantly appeal to most people the first time they hear it. It only appealed to me after I was able to apply the notion to my own behavior, with positive results. And it seems more precise than colloquial phrases like "human folly". That said, the word "irrational" is still very vague, and the more often it becomes used by people and groups with different ideas of what constitutes irrational behavior, the less clear it becomes. Just as one man's junk is another man's treasure, one person's definition of irrational behavior is not the same as another's. So long as an explanation is given for why a particular thought, desire, or behavior is irrational I think these difficulties can be avoided and the reader can come to her own conclusions. In my opinion, it is easier, and sometimes more immediately fruitful, to spot out instances of irrationality than examples of rationality, but both deserve equal attention.

There is an intersection with these ideas and the skeptical and atheist movement. (Before going further I should re-emphasize that all these terms are equally vulnerable to misappropriation by groups with opposing ideological agendas. Remember how "compassionate" used to be a good word? It still is, but not everyone means the same thing.) It is wise to be skeptical of our motivations when they are likely to be irrational. And the atheist movement is the result of putting religious claims under the critical lens of science, philosophy, and humanitarian concerns. There are voices on the internet calling attention to these subjects. Dan Ariely is a behavioral economist whose focus is irrational behavior, which is also the subject of his last two books. A group of bloggers contribute to "Irrationality Itches", which appears to have been dormant for the last few months. Another blog called "Human-stupidity" appears to come from the political right wing (or libertarianism, I haven't taken a close enough look) in his views of irrational behavior. And I cannot mention irrational behavior without also talking about the psychologist Albert Ellis, who targeted irrational ideas as the focus of his therapeutic work.

So how exactly do people exhibit irrationality? This could be the subject of a long series of posts, if they ever get written. But to spend my time on that right now would be irrational for me to do, in light of other demands on my time and energy. In the meantime I'd like to direct you to the other resources mentioned above, and welcome hearing any of your thoughts on this subject in the comments. I should mention that I don't think irrationality, on the face of it, is bad, but when it goes unnoticed masquerading as rational behavior it can have very serious and harmful consequences.

challenging assumptions

2010-07-26T02:26:00.001-07:00

Is it possible to be as happy when in want as when without? I've asked only one other person this question, and she gave me an enthusiastically affirmative response without hesitation.

The Dawkins experience

2010-07-16T01:13:00.000-07:00

I arrived at Davis Concert Hall with my dad a full 15 minutes early, but I already knew it was going to be packed. Cars were streaming onto campus and lines of people were converging upon the concert hall. When we arrived at the doors we heard someone announce that the Hall was full and no more people were allowed to enter, however it would be webcast live in Greuning room 208. We debated for a minute the value of attending a webcast, and decided to go. The room filled to overflowing within five minutes, a second room across the hallway was opened as well. For almost half an hour after the lecture started the overflow audience sat in frustration as we could only see the video of the lecture - the audio wasn't working. As our last hope that the audio would be fixed faded, we left and headed back to Davis Concert Hall. After deciding it would be too long to wait around until the lecture and Q&A session afterward ended to get Dawkins signature on our book, we left. Thankfully on our way out we were told the media lab downstairs in the library had working video and audio for the webcast. Having missed at least the first half hour of the lecture, we greatly enjoyed watching the second half, webcast in full fidelity. Lots of good content, with some good natured humor intermixed! When I get the chance, I will have to download and view the first half hour of the lecture I missed. The Q&A took up the full hour allocated and afterwards I went to the book signing. The line snaked almost entirely around the perimeter of the large lobby area outside of the Concert Hall. The attendance and overflow for this lecture was the greatest I have ever personally seen at UAF, and has to have been one of the most successful lectures ever on campus. Dawkins waived all his fees, including travel, hotel, and meals. He is a very impressive speaker and critical thinker, and a truly inspirational figure, whether in person or via live webcast. On the heels of his appearance at the Amazing! Meeting 8, I hope his time here in Fairbanks was an enjoyable experience. I also hope the showing at his lecture did something to dispel the poor reputation Alaskans have gained in the global community, thanks in no small part to some of the politicians we have elected. When he signed the copy of The God Delusion I have been reading, I thanked him and asked him to send my regards to PZ, and was given a warm smile of recognition in return.

construction season

2010-07-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

Soon I will begin to build a 12 x 16 foot shed using dimensional lumber. The shed to our house will be like an expansion tank is to a water pump. How's that for an analogy? It will also help me clean up the landscape around the house. It has been a long and complex vetting process to identify the best design based on a wide variety of factors. Like natural selection, the process yielded conservative results. Getting the shed up brings me one step closer to a few other things I've been looking forward to... a sauna and greenhouse. And I think I found the perfect sauna for me.

With more freezing days than warm, a sauna is more valuable than a greenhouse. I can have an 8 x 12 sauna transported wherever I may move. A collapsible greenhouse can also be delivered wherever I want. In my area where falling trees are an everyday reality, using sheet plastic to cover the greenhouse is a justifiably cautious approach. Off the top of my head, the best greenhouse I ever stepped inside was my wife's grandmother's greenhouse in Japan - a plastic sheet covered metal pipe box barely five feet high. It had some of those delicious Japanese grapes inside. The second best was Rosie Creek Farm's big wood truss greenhouse. A shed is really too big to move, it stays in place just as the house does. The greenhouse and the sauna form the backbone of recreation during the summer and winter. Each is a staycation in itself. I can play in the snow and cold, and in the summer watch plants grow and mold. And these are both very social activities, to be shared and enjoyed in the company of others. What a nice thought! They are also outdoor oriented activities; I love spending my time outside.

Another thought, the thought of moving somewhere else, somewhere near the ocean, comes up occasionally. To me, a beach is a magic place, a spiritually expansive place, the edge of a vast empire. Aside from the rhythm of the waves, the rocky shoreline, and the alien like life I can find there, I can also see for miles and miles, sometimes without limit. I don't have that experience where I am at right now, but the good news is I think I can, if I build the sauna at the top of my hill and resting on an observation platform to get me an extra five to ten feet from the ground (not mobile) that is situated at the point where the slope changes the most. The added height may minimize the risk from falling trees, and I'll have a view of the Alaska range and probably Denali if I am lucky. Not to mention the aurora straight overhead. The wind and the landscape from there will help me connect with that same feeling again.

James Randi

2010-06-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

Randi is old, he's lived 81 years already, but he is very sharp and has long applied his skeptical mind to the defense of the gullible by exposing people who would like nothing more than to mislead and take advantage of them. There is no more honorable reason to kill sacred cows than that. By dismantling contemporary claims of supernatural events, he does a great service to science and rationality. And he's a cute old man! He looks more huggable than Santa Claus. Meanwhile, other notable skeptics like Dawkins, Hitchens, or Dennett look decisively less huggable (okay, Dennett has a fuzzy white beard too). But then I also like Randi because he seems so down to earth, like the neighbor you bump into at the post office occasionally.

But what I really love about Randi is that he highlights how easily it is for us to decieve ourselves. Self-deception goes beyond allowing myself to be duped into following a religious cult, it goes to the heart of a lot of personal self management problems that have nothing to do with religion. He's an expert at deception and entertaining with valuable first hand knowledge of how it happens. I think this uniquely qualifies him in a different way than other experts in areas such as science, journalism, or philosophy (though these are not without their own value). He's very personable, in fact inspirational as an exemplar of humanitarian values, and has been featured on the popular science blog Pharyngula several times recently. I may add that for many of the same reasons I like Randi, I also like Martin Gardner, who at 95 died about a month ago.

To long time readers of my blog, James Randi is already a familiar name. When late last year he expressed skepticism over climate change, it was troubling news to many of his fans and supporters. But I say lesson learned, defer to the appropriate experts when forming an opinion outside of your field of expertise.

Out-buildings around town

2010-06-23T00:53:00.000-07:00

Back on the subject of building things... I have been taking a close look at the vernacular buildings around town to get ideas for the construction of a shed and sauna at my home. The first building I took a photo of was the ramshackle sauna at Calypso Farm and Ecology Center (image 1, at left). These guys will try just about anything, and they keep it all low budget, which shows. But I gotta give them props for being true to their mission. The sauna you see at left has a simple shed type roof. It has a small changing room in the front and the enclosed sauna is in the rear. The lower half of the roof is a large overhang, and a gutter directs all runoff to a standing water tank with a simple garden hose siphon. The owner said he'd like to talk sometime about the changes he'd make if he were to do it over again. I'll have to get back to him.

(image group 2) Also at Calypso Farm is this very eclectic looking shed. I like this building, it has clear similarities to a Norwegian trestle frame shed. Round tree posts, beams, and trusses; it doesn't get much simpler. The close up picture below shows that it all rests on simple concrete blocks in the ground. The soil on hillsides around town is very dry and well drained. It looks like this building has stood here for more than a handful of years.

(3) This next building is a shed built at Rosie Creek Farm. It is very similar to the one above at Calypso Farm, but it has a full concrete foundation and uses all dimensional lumber. The room at the back is insulated and used as refrigerated storage for the produce they grow and harvest before it is distributed to customers.

(4) This is a cabin built just this year at Rosie Creek Farm. Last year only a plywood platform stood at this location. This cabin has a wide overhang along the roof on one side. The exposed beam ends are probably not a good idea. They have another small shed that is of the common rafter-roof form, to use Ted Benson's timber frame terminology. Last year this may have had a canvas roof and not the tarp roof it does now.

(5) With the exception of the sauna, all the above buildings have gable roofs. But a simple shed roof is the simplest form. Back in February I took this picture of a woodshed at Calypso Farm while I was there for a workshop. The picture below it is of a woodshed at my workplace at about the same time of year.

(6) Another local storage shed. This one belongs to an acquaintance of mine and is built on a hillside similar in slope to my lot. It was designed as lockable secure and weather proof storage for the owner's tools while he was out of town on extended leave. You can see the simple post and beam construction and overall modest size of this building. I think he built it single handed. It rests on treated posts sunk into the ground; the natural grade of the site was not disturbed. The covered deck surrounding it on two sides makes convenient shelter for frequently used items. Two identical buildings like this (shed and sauna each) separated by at least 20 feet and oriented parallel to each other and at right angles to my house (though at least 60+ feet distant from it) would look very sharp.

(7) This little neglected shed used to be home for a few hogs. Most recently it became a chicken coop. It has a dirt floor. Barely visible in the photo on the right side of the building is a small chicken wire fenced area is attached on the opposite side. Bottom section constructed with logs, upper part is framed. The exterior dimensions, including siding, are about 15x15, and the roof slope is about 2/12. The roof overhangs by at least two feet all around. I'm not sure what the ramp on the side was intended for. Very compact and sturdy looking. The roof slopes down toward the north. You can see that the door was left open.

(8) You may remember these two pictures from my earlier entry in January. A simple pole framed woodshed and a diagram of how to build a deck floor.

The language of emotion

2010-06-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

I'm going to test new waters and pretend to know something about music. Sounds are so beautiful, whether they are the spoken music of a foreign language, the sound of rain gushing out of downspouts, or classical music. I haven't taken the time to become skillful enough with any instruments, though that has long been an ambition of mine. One piece of music I like is Ravel's orchestration of "Bydlo", the fourth movement of Mussorgsky's suite "Pictures at an Exhibition". While listening to the music, we are to imagine a lumbering oxcart's journey. The movement begins quietly, builds gradually, and then fades, suggesting the oxcart approaching, passing the listener, and then receding. An ox is a massive animal with incredible strength, and the music reflects its great power well. If you feel you are straining under an emotional load and need some cathartic release, listen to Bydlo here.

When I was a little kid, I remember marching all around the house banging on metal pots and pans with wooden spoons to the tune of "March of the Toys" from Babes in Toyland. I wouldn't dream of depriving my kids of the same opportunity!

kill the buddha

2010-06-14T03:22:00.000-07:00

Continuing the theme of the last few blog posts, I began with a discussion of systems of thought, and the philosophy of science. Then continued with how apparently contradictory perspectives may in a sense all be right (anekantavada). Next I identified several of Zhuangzi's allegories that illustrate the equality or fundamentally indistinguishable nature of things, and ask us "why should we be attached to any particular preference?" Now I'd like to point out where Zen Buddhism intersects with these ideas. Zen emphasizes direct perception of reality; words and ideas only get in the way. With this approach, the methods of instruction are therefore unconventional. Consider this quote from Linji:

Seekers of the Way, if you want to achieve the understanding according to the Law, don't be deceived by others and turn to [your thoughts] internally or [objects] externally. Kill anything that you happen on. Kill the Buddha if you happen to meet him. Kill a patriarch or an arhat if you happen to meet him. Kill your parents or relatives if you happen to meet them. Only then can you be free, not bound by material things, and absolutely free and at ease.

I think this may be the most shocking Zen koan (certainly one of the best known). What other religion says "kill the founder" and shows no sign of remorse? But this is, as he says, about emancipation from the obstacles that we place in our minds. If I hold a particular opinion on a matter, or think this is right and that is wrong, then I have circumscribed my innate freedom. Though they may be seen as a progression of thought, all three approaches to knowledge are unique and each has its virtues. Zen is about realizing how the mind works, Taoism is about realizing how nature works, and anekantavada is just the doctrine of non-exclusivity. It was due to Zen's emphasis on the mind that my Eastern philosophy teacher was attracted to it.

I know too little about Zen koans, though it may be better to begin with a review of Feng Youlan's books on Chinese philosophy. The shock value of koans like "kill the Buddha" is really wonderful. I need shock value to grab the attention and interest of people who are distrustful, angry, and disillusioned... and who need to think; to grow and change. I don't want to frighten or give the wrong idea however; violent imagery isn't really appropriate for all audiences. Linji's lessons can be... strong medicine.

I like a non-goal oriented philosophy that makes no assertions of its own and frees me from the pursuit of thoughts and concerns. A philosophy that allows me to engage in life as it is. I like the freedom to pick and choose among ideological traditions without guilt, knowing full well that each has its limitations. It seems to me that Zen's emphasis on the mind and realization of non-self makes it by default goal oriented. It gets lost in the philosophy of mind too easily, obscuring the simplicity to which it aspires. Philosophical Taoism is the most non-goal oriented philosophy that I have seen so far. Since all things are equal, any line of action is just as good as any other; all goals are value equivalent. But lest the Zhuangzi is praised over much, it is important to see how it developed in the context of ancient Chinese philosophy, where it inherit many methods from other sources including the "School of Names". Over time is has developed further to address problems in Chinese philosophy, so it is no more immune to sewing confusion than any other tradition. The only philosophy that is immune is a philosophy of pure skepticism, that denies any powers of elucidation that it may appear to have. None exists, but some are more skeptical than others.

But then, how does one distinguish philosophical traditions from one another? Ideas are lumped together and someone puts a name to the piles thus created without the consent of the idea makers. Rules as to which ideas belong where are usually vague. Then others choose from among the piles to create their own philosophies, adding a few ideas of their own in the process, and still others give these new piles names of their own as well. It seems more coincidental than orderly what ends up where. Taoists are not merely proponents of an idea call the Tao, and Buddhists are not all followers of the Buddha. Neo-Confucians have little to do with Confucius. Feng Youlan (aka Fung Yu-lan) in the second volume of History of Chinese Philosophy (p. 390) identifies the five main points of Ch'an, the original Chinese Buddhist school of thought of which Zen is the Japanese version:

The Highest Truth or First Principle is inexpressible.
“Spiritual cultivation cannot be cultivated.”
In the last resort nothing is gained.
“There is nothing much in the Buddhist teaching.”
“In carrying water and chopping wood: therein lies the wonderful Tao.”

Clearly, these are not easily understood without additional explanation! But among these points you can still see the influence of other schools of thought in China at the time.

I'd like to add another quote that I find interesting, if not consoling in a way. Zhuangzi writes that when Lieh Tzu discovered eventually that 'he hadn't yet begun to learn anything':

He went home remaining inside for three long years. He did all the chores for his wife and fed the pigs as if they were people. He showed no affection for the affairs of the world, giving up the ostentatious for the plain. He stood alone inside himself like a clod of earth. And amid the flutter of confusion and division, he was at one to the end of his string of days.

Three in the Morning

2010-06-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Anekantavada is very similar to the advice Xunzi gives in his chapter on dispelling obsession, which is also similar to the concept of wu wei (perhaps best espoused by Zhuangzi). Zhuangzi's second chapter, The Equality of All Things (Qi Wu Lun), is short and bursting at the seams with wonderful passages like the following. (It is easy to compare the story of the blind men and the elephant to this one.)

When we toil our spirits and intelligence, obstinately determined (to establish our own view), and do not know the agreement (which underlies it and the views of others), we have what may be called “three in the morning.” What is meant by "three in the morning"? A monkey keeper once was giving out nuts and said, "Three in the morning and four in the evening." All the monkeys became angry. He said, "If that is the case, there will be four in the morning and three in the evening." All the monkeys were glad. Neither the name nor the actuality has been reduced but the monkeys reacted in joy and anger [differently]. The keeper also let things take their own course. Therefore the sage harmonizes the right and wrong and rests in natural equilization. This is called following two courses at the same time.

Here is a very cute animation (based on the graphic novelization of Chinese classics by Tsai Chih-chung) of Three In the Morning. Before this is viewed as simply a lesson in delayed gratification, and not as a lesson in the equality of different viewpoints/preferences, keep in mind that the story does not specify the time of day that the monkey keeper spoke to the monkeys. It may have been in the morning or it may have been in the evening, meaning the monkeys could have received either the larger or smaller amounts of nuts first depending on what time it was. Furthermore, we could imagine continuing the story where the monkey keeper has another group of monkeys, and having learned from his first negotiation, he offers this second group four in the morning and three in the evening. Let us imagine that unlike the first group, they become angry at this suggestion (which had satisfied the first group) and are only appeased when he then offers three in the morning and four in the evening. We could go on. Perhaps a third group agrees instantly to the first offer he makes and there is no need for a counter offer, but you couldn't draw out the intended moral from such an agreeable group of monkeys!

Another passage that practically trivializes human differences (oversimplification?):

The "this" is also the "that." The "that" is also the "this." The "this" has one standard of right and wrong, and the "that" also has a standard of right and wrong. Is there really a distinction between "that" and "this"? Or is there really no distinction between "that" and "this"?

This passage questions a basic assumption: that there are meaningful ethical differences between people or systems of thought. The implied message appears to be that any differences are more superficial than fundamental. But this passage alone (taken out of its context) in the end shies from asserting that claim. Nothing escapes Zhuangzi's skepticism, which is elsewhere turned inward when he says "I have just said something, but I don't know if what I have said really says something or says nothing." and "When I say you were dreaming, I am also dreaming." The next passage I have quoted below continues this trend:

Suppose you and I argue. If you beat me instead of my beating you, are you really right and am I really wrong? If I beat you instead of your beating me, am I really right and are you really wrong? Or are we both partly right and partly wrong? Or are we both wholly right and wholly wrong? Since between us neither you nor I know which is right, others are naturally in the dark. Whom shall we ask to arbitrate? If we ask someone who agrees with you, since he has already agreed with you, how can he arbitrate? If we ask someone who agrees with me, since he has already agreed with me, how can he arbitrate? If we ask someone who disagrees with both you and me to arbitrate, since he has already disagreed with you and me, how can he arbitrate? If we ask someone who agrees with both you and me to arbitrate, since has already agreed with you and me, how can he arbitrate? Thus among you, me, and others, none knows which is right. Shall we wait for still others?

I can almost hear the voice of my Eastern philosophy teacher rise and fall as he reads this. He loved this and often said "if I wasn't a Buddhist, I'd be a Taoist". Well, he was a Chan Buddhist, which was heavily influenced by Taoist philosophy, so he was able to have his cake and eat it too. I also love the spirit of this passage and the way Zhuangzi admits that even if it may seem that he is right, he may still be wrong after all. Who can say? Apparently nobody can. I imagine that if this passage was in Ecclesiastes (perhaps somewhere near chapter 12, verse 12), it would be quoted all the time!

Anekantavada

2010-05-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the story of the blind men and an elephant?

In various versions of the tale, a group of blind men touch an elephant to learn what it is like. Each one touches a different part, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then compare notes on what they felt, and learn they are in complete disagreement. The blind man who feels a leg says the elephant is like a tree; the one who feels the tail says the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk says the elephant is like a snake; the one who feels the ear says the elephant is like a fan; the one who feels the belly says the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk says the elephant is like a spear. Each blind man has interesting and useful things to say, but what seems an absolute truth is relative due to where each blind man stands. The story is used to indicate that reality may be viewed differently depending upon one's perspective.

I used to say that the elephant was like a tree and a rope, then I only thought it was only like a tree and maybe sometimes like a snake, but now I think it is like all of them. Sometimes I even feel like I am "one with the elephant." The interesting thing about elephants is that their characteristics are transient, and they are always moving around, so what they are like at one moment can be completely different at the next. That's nature, but it can be accepted and even transcended when one takes the perspective of all perspectives, and realizes, as expressed by Wang Yang-ming, that "all things form one body". The same sentiment is contained in the Western Inscription. I take this to mean not only all things, as in material things, but also the contents of the mind. In this union with everything, there is peace. There's only one problem, I can't help feeling a little delusional writing "I am everything and nothing" in a blog entry.

So the story of the blind men and an elephant is a very useful one, even if by itself unconvincing. And elephants are just cool! They are big, smart, and have one of the most awesome appendages in the animal kingdom - a trunk. A trunk is so useful. How many herbivorous animals without hands can paint on a canvas with a brush?

Feyerabend's autobiography, a review

2010-05-11T00:35:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Killing Time recently, with an eye toward learning about Feyerabend's approach to the philosophy of science. A simple search on the Internet will provide a basic introduction, but it is always better to get information from as close to the original source as possible, so I am including a few quotes from the book below. Feyerabend places the scientific tradition on an equal plane with other traditions, including religious traditions. I think this is for several reasons: science is not objective, nor are its products always beneficial. If the scientific tradition is deposed as the ruling way of knowing, what we are left with is “epistemological anarchy”. Popularly conceived, anarchy means chaos, but here it is better understood as pluralism – no single tradition has a monopoly on knowledge, or truth. On the other hand, he would never say that scientific theories are not to be taken seriously. So what is there to gain from all this? In Feyerabend's words, “a little more freedom, a little more happiness, a little more light.” It will take a reading of his other books to gain more insight into how he reached his conclusions. For now, I appreciate being unbound by any ideology, free from guilt and free to understand my experience on terms of my own choosing.

A few weeks before he died, Feyerabend was told in the course of an interview "You have not created a positive philosophical system" to which he replied "You find positive things not in theories but in human relations. If somebody is happily married, has good children, this is a positive thing in life. It can't be put into concepts." Feyerabend thought that happiness, love, friendship, and the full development of human beings was the highest possible value.

Richard Dawkins will be visiting this summer to give a speech, and I would like to ask him his opinion of Feyerabend. I am sure he should find him agreeable, as Dawkins opens his book The God Delusion with a short story illustrating why it is unethical to indoctrinate impressionable youth in a particular religion without allowing them to make that decision for themselves. Feyerabend makes the same point, taking it one step further to include science among the list of ideologies susceptible to the same kind of religious fervor.

If atheism is the belief that there is no god, non-absolutism is the belief that there are no absolutes of any kind, which includes a belief that "a unified theory of the physical world simply does not exist" (Feyerabend, Farewell to Reason, 1987), "all methodologies have their limits" (Against Method, 1975). But who among us would dare to take non-absolutism to such extremes and confront the greatest aspiration of science, a TOE (theory of everything)? Until very recently, I probably wouldn't have, non-absolutism was to me an abstract concept, but Feyerabend shows it to be a historical reality. The positive message is that if science is an ideology like any other, then this does not diminish its evident importance, rather it raises the importance of the others.

The following quotes are from Killing Time:

p. 75
“Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all based on books, and nature, accordingly, was treated as a book written in a special and rather difficult language.”

p. 97
“I think that many young people – say, between fifteen and seveenteen or, today, between seven and ten – have similarly unstable perceptions and views. They see the world in a special way, and yet the slightest pressure can make them see it differently. A good teacher respects this instability. Unfortunately, most educators use it “to teach the truth,” as they call the process of imparting their own puny ideas.”

p. 142
“The world, including the world of science, is a complex and scattered entity that cannot be captured by theories and simple rules... Nor is there one way of knowing, science; there are many such ways, and before they were ruined by Western civilization they were effective in the sense that they kept people alive and made their existence comprehensible... Scientific institutions are not “objective”; neither they nor their products confront people like a rock, or a star. They often merge with other traditions, are affected by them, affect them in turn. Decisive scientific movements were inspired by philosophical and religious (or theological) sentiments. The material benefits of science are not at all obvious. There are great benefits, true. But there are also great disadvantages. And the role of the abstract entity “science” in the production of the benefits is anything but clear.”

p. 164
“The treasures unearthed by science seem to have an additional advantage: being related to each other in lawful ways they can be manipulated or predicted by using the laws. But that makes them important only if the resulting scenario is pleasant to live in. The objection that the scenario is “real,” and that we must adapt to it no matter what, has no weight, for it is not the only one: there are many ways of thinking and living.” [emphasis mine]

[For a convincing contra position read this. Whatever could be said of him, Feyerabend stood primarily for the free exercise of intellect, unconstrained by dogma. This is why his message resonated with me; I feel like my thoughts are constraining me in crippling ways and that during the brief moments I feel liberated from them I am focused and very efficient in my choices and actions. I always want to be liberated from my concerns, worries, biases, etc. and live in the moment. Who doesn't? As I wrote in my last entry: "Everything is unique and special, each experience and person is fundamentally different from the next. I approach everything anew each time." Yes, I do concede that they can all be related to each other, but everything is unique. The fundamental uniqueness of personal experience (the term 'subjective consciousness' seems too sterile) lies at the core of humanity and all life. Here is how I can liberate myself from concerns (or even compulsive over analysis): I don't want to replace one thought with another thought, I want to remember that all thoughts have their limits. So why persist in pursuing them? It is a version of "this too shall pass", but I have modeled it on a quote from pg.32 of Feyerabend's Against Method. I just replaced the words "rules" and "methodologies" with "thoughts". There is no limit to the number of grand ideas one can have, but all grand ideas have their limits.]

Religion, Science, and the inneffabile

2010-04-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

[Note: Several statements in the first paragraph no longer reflect my current opinion, see the next entry above for an explanation.]

There are the things of the world we are able to sense directly or detect with sensitive apparatus, and the things we cannot. Those things we can sense are useful in making and carrying out sound decisions, those things we cannot detect cannot be used for making sound decisions. I think it is inappropriate to make decisions based on ideas that cannot be independently tested and confirmed. One of the reasons I believe this is so that the rights of everyone are respected. That way if someone asks "Why?" They can be given a reason that they can confirm or prove wrong. Everyone can have a say, the facts are available for all. Basically this means rules should have some basis in science. Science sounds like a very modern idea, or even a futuristic one, but it's roots reach deep into the past. It is a way of looking at the world much like philosophy, with curiosity and the willingness to learn new things. It is the spirit of invention and creation. It is useful, but has no ends other than those we give it.

Can we detect everything? It would be sheer hubris to say we can. Laozi had a simple solution for this, what he could not detect could not be described. It remains mysterious and ineffible. There's nothing wrong with that. Beauty is also mysterious. We can choose whether or not we want to fear the unknown. I think it is essential to the scientific and philosophical attitude to recognize the limitations of each endeavor, without negating the importance of their contributions, and for any person to reconsider their position if they find their claims to have exceeded their abilities regarding the subject on which they speak. Right now, too much self interest and not enough science based explanations are used in decision making.

But then, one wonders if the sciences offer a consilinece of knowledge, as per E. O. Wilson, or if, as Feyerabend would have us believe, the actual condition is one of epistemological anarchy due to fundamental incommensurability. It is liberating to realize the world cannot be seen through any one lens. Though all are not equal, neither is one the best. I had imagined there may be a theory of everything, but now I am not as sure. Everything is unique and special, each experience and person is fundamentally different from the next. I approach everything anew each time. Doesn't reality resist categorization as much as I do?

A second bill of rights?

2010-04-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

The other day I saw Moore's documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story". While it's subject matter is not directly related to my job, it affects all of us. I was introduced to names and ideas that I am not very familiar with, but am curious to learn more about. The critical experts introduced in the film included: Wallace Shawn, William K. Black, Elizabeth Warren, and Christopher L. Hedges. The film seemed to suggest that we could be living in an alternate reality if Franklin D. Roosevelt's Second Bill of Rights had been acted upon here in the U.S., and not just implemented in Japan and Continental Europe when their constitutions were re-written in the aftermath of WWII (Cass Sunstein wrote a book about the second bill of rights). If this had happened, we might never have seen such memos as Citigroup's Plutonomy Reports.

The second bill of rights, an "economic bill of rights", looks much the same as the lower half of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. If people are to reach their potential, their immediate needs and safety must first be provided for. The documentary also reminded me of Noam Chomsky, who promotes a line of thought that began as early as Zhuangzi (see the first paragraph of chapter 11 in The book of Zhuangzi).

When a global plan for reducing pollution could not be agreed upon, the mayors of major cities created their own plans of action. The same can be done for the second bill of rights, if not enacted on the federal level, we could work on a local form at the community level.

Rover

2010-04-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

On Monday Terratrike, a recumbent tricycle company, announced the introduction of its latest model, the Rover. Billed as "man's best friend" it has garnered mostly positive reviews, detractors usually point out that it is not performance oriented. But that would defeat its purpose. This is a very accessible, utility oriented tricycle that reminds me most of the Anthrotech, a German recumbent trike with very similar geometry. Among its advantages are included: affordability (as far as recumbent trikes go), ground clearance, load capacity (400 lbs.), and potential for future add-on accessories. Terratrike is a big player in the recumbent industry with solid reputation. I would love to see what I could load up this bike with. With tricycle stability I could add a big electric motor, several racks for luggage, and head out for long distance touring. The tadpole orientation of the wheels allows one to keep a relatively shorter wheelbase, low bottom bracket, and larger wheels (20 inch) without any concern for feet interference with the steering. (My delta EZ-3 trike has a 16 inch front wheel.) I guess I would buy this trike only if I have a realistic plan for electrifying it, an EV project is something I have never tried before. Then again, I could just try to electrify the EZ-3, or something more like this with its clean fully enclosed drivetrain. Meh, I should probably stick with whipping tops!

autotrophic animal

2010-04-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

PZ Myers commented on the negative reaction of others to an article by Freeman Dyson about bio-engineering and the potential of a techno-utopia. It was this article that came to mind when I read about Elysia chlorotica, a photosynthesizing mollusc. It is so extravagent that it seems to be the product of bio-engineering rather than nature! I used to think it would be great if I could photosynthesize. Certainly this would be a welcome ability for Jain monks and nuns, or any vegan, liberating them from consuming other organisms to an extent they have hitherto only dreamed of. What a fascinating animal! (A similarly life altering symbiosis exists for the bacteria-symbiotic gutless oligochaetes, such as Olavius algarvensis. But Olavius is still a heterotroph.)

While on the subject of animals, the sort of images revealed by microscopy- the structure of crystals and small biological structures- are amazing! When I look at a scolex or a placoid scale, I see art. (The scolex looks like it is dessicated somewhat.) And the movement of amphisbaenians (mimizutokage = worm lizard) is hypnotic, what other vertebrates move in such an invertebrate fashion?

Abraham Maslow

2010-04-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

Abraham Masolow is perhaps most famous for his Hierarchy of Needs, but he seems to have talked much more about the qualities of a "self actualizing" person (see personality psychology). In the second edition of his book Motivation and Personality he describes about fifteen different characteristics. While I cannot weigh the relative importance of each, the characteristic of "problem centering" (pg. 159-160) caught my attention. Recently I was concerned with how I can help others, convinced that compassion and the work of assisting others is a worthy "higher calling" to which I find myself repeatedly drawn, and in the service of which I continue to struggle. So this passage held a lot of meaning for me:

Our subjects are in general strongly focused on problems outside themselves. In current terminology they are problem-centered rather than ego centered. They generally are not problems for themselves, and are not generally much concerned about themselves, i.e., as contrasted with the ordinary introspectiveness that one finds in insecure people. These individuals customarily have some mission in life, some task to fulfill, some problem outside of themselves which enlists much of their energies.

This is not necessarily a task that they would prefer or choose for themselves; it may be a task that they feel is their responsibility, duty, or obligation. This is why we use the phrase "a task that they must do" rather than the phrase "a task that they want to do." In general these tasks are nonpersonal or "unselfish", concerned rather with the good of mankind in general, or of a nation in general or of a few individuals in the subject's family.

Focus on problems outside yourself. It's just one characteristic of leading a wonderful life. That's hard medicine to swallow for introspective people like myself. For this to be effective one must ask of any particular problem whether it concerns oneself or whether it really concerns others. In other passages, it is suggested that the within/without dichotomy in relation to the self can disappear, which implies that problem centering in these cases would be a highly relative distinction. If focusing on the outside is the same as focusing on the inside, then of course the dichotomy vanishes. Address the problems inside yourself by focusing on the problems outside yourself. This is related to the "helper effect" (in the process of helping others we are able to feel better and do more work ourselves), but it is also a broad generality that is not applicable in every situation. Closely related to self-actualization is Maslow's concept of the "peak experience". On pg. 165 of the same book he noted:

Apparently, the acute mystic experience is a tremendous intensification of any of the experiences in which there is loss of self or transcendence of it, e.g., problem-centering, intense concentration, "muga" behavior as described by Benedict, intense sensuous experience, self forgetful and intense enjoyment of music or art.

In another of his books, The Farther Reaches of Human Nature, Maslow provides the background from which his interest in self-actualizing people originated (p40) Maslow also liked existentialism, as he expressed in Toward a Psychology of Being, and had great hopes for its influence in psychology, but noted that too often the theory did not account for "joy, ecstasy, or normal happiness" in addition to tragedy, or rather, anxiety, with which the authentic life in existentialism is popularly associated.

04/07/10

What problem outside myself can I focus on?

About a week ago I was looking at "The Foundation Beyond Belief" and saw that one of the charities it sponsored was "SMART Recovery". As a chemical dependency counselor, I took an interest in using this with my clients. It was nice to teach an approach to recovery that I agreed with more than 12 step programs. I liked promoting a more reasoned approach not just to maintaining a drug free life, but for all areas of life.

Putting research into practice – realizing potential. (But why say with six words what can be better said with 715 words?) I can focus on the problem of not having the best solutions put into practice. There are a lot of things that we know about drug abuse, or healthy lifestyles, or you name it, and we don't do it. That can be very frustrating. I put research into practice when it comes to my job of turning bad habits around, and educating the youth at my work and the youth in my home. Which is to say, I center on this problem: Current research is not implemented in child and adolescent residential programs. Which is not to say it is all bad, but it could be improved a good deal. And I do a very good job of working toward greater implementation of research! This is important to remember- actual effectiveness can be directly affected by one's perception of his/her own self-efficacy.

4/10/10
A three step model:
A characteristic of self-actualization:
“Focus on problems outside yourself.”
The problem I center on:
“Current research is not implemented in child and adolescent residential programs.”
Affirming self-efficacy:
“I do a very good job of working toward greater implementation of research!”

A cruck building technique

2010-03-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

A ridge-beam can be supported by two tripods to make a pioneered "tripod-cruck" building. with the ends of tie-beams extended outward, the side walls can be framed just as in a conventional cruck building. This would work well. But while contemplating this idea I came across a picture I saved about six months ago that provided me with inspiration for how to raise a cruck building on uneven ground single handedly.

Build two tripods and support a tie-beam across them. Adjust the beam for level by pulling in or extending outward the tripod legs to raise or lower the tie-beam's ends. Then attach the cruck blades to the tie-beam (as in above picture) and place concrete piers under them. Repeat this procedure for the other gable end of the building. Place a ridge-beam across the two pairs of crucks. Place the wall plates across the ends of the tie-beams. Brace the structure, then remove the four tripods and it should remain standing firm and solid. Sheath the building as desired. When finished it should be a single-bay cruck building with a clear and unobstructed interior.

The alternative up to now was to build the crucks on the ground and raise them up like an old fashioned barn raising. Then brace them temporarily in place while I attach them to each other using some sort of scaffolding to allow me to work at the right height. Then brace the building and remove the scaffolding. That is a lot of work. If I built the crucks on the ground it would be less certain whether the feet of the crucks would be too long or too short, causing the tie-beam to be out of level. So this technique I am describing above sounds far more preferable. Without having to raise the crucks, I can use larger timbers too.

The crucks and tie-beams could be squared with an axe before tested for position, then marks could be made for lap joints where they cross. Timberlock screws could hold them in place, or large bolts (as Rob Roy has suggested).

This method for raising the tie-beam first before adding its supports could easily be used in the construction of a very simple trestle frame building. For a two-trestle building, use two tripods to level each tie-beam. Measure, cut, and wedge two posts (and concrete piers) under each tie-beam. Then place wall plates across the ends of the tie-beams. Everything should be plumb and square. Attach diagonal braces and remove the tripods. The roof could be simply framed with pre-made timber trusses, gusseted (or yoked) for strength, that are attached to the wall plates with bird's mouth notches. Or a ridge-beam could be supported by short posts, one centered on each tie-beam (not as strong, but simpler). To lengthen the building, add trestles and extend the wall plates centering joints over posts.

If a trestle is parallel to the slope of the hill, the post on one side will be longer than the post on the other. If it is perpendicular to the slope of the hill, posts will be equal lengths. If a series of trestles with tie-beams atop posts of equal lengths are arranged perpendicular to the slope of a hill, then the wall plates laid across them will have the same slope as the hill. In this way framing a roof may be unnecessary as the surface of the wall plates could form the shape of a shed roof with sufficient slope for shedding water when sheathed with roofing material. Just provide plenty of bracing. A word of caution: if the long axis of such a building is perpendicular to the slope of the hill, then the building could be composed of two very long trestles with multiple posts. But this reduces the strength of trestle frame construction, in which the shape of each trestle should not deviate too far from approximating a square and be composed of only two posts.

It goes without saying that logs are irregular, and these irregularities become compounded with each additional log. (The height of roofing material, rafter, wall plate, tie-beam, post, and foundation, added together, should be the same. Changes in the height of one need to be compensated for in another; ideally there is no need for this.) Therefore beginning the project with the straightest most consistent wood is best, otherwise be prepared to accept a lot of character in the final building. But character isn't bad, and construction techniques can be used to deal with irregularities, for example irregularities could be allowed to accumulate, then be compensated for at the end by varying the depth of the rafter's notch in the wall plate (assuming the wall plate is thick enough to absorb deep notches without compromising strength). Look at Ullandhaug Roman Age Farm in Stavanger, Norway. It has a lot of character and it is beautiful.

One of the biggest difficulties of building with round lumber is creating multiple joints whose surfaces all lie in the same plane. I think the key to overcoming this is to create a reference point or position against which they are all measured for accuracy. For example, rest a log securely on one surface (if it doesn't rest easily, attach it or create a base so that it can) then create all other cuts measured against that surface, whether plumb and vertical, level and horizontal, or at some other measured angle.

There are literally hundreds of measurements and cuts involved in timber frame construction. With dozens of cuts on each large member, any mistake is very costly as it could render the entire member useless. Stick frame construction, using only but joints, is therefore faster and easier by a wide margin. It would appear I have engaged in an exercise that has been solved long ago!

Whipping top

2010-03-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

A whipping top is a toy, pure and simple. In all probability China has the most unique whipping tops, where this game has been elevated to a fitness sport. The whips become large; bullwhips, double whips, whips with chains, whips on sticks, and sticks with whips are all used. The tops may be so large that they need to be started while held steady with a dowel inserted into the upper portion of the top. Swing the big whips in a wide circle overhead and let them hit the side of the top, then again and again (video playlist). Here is a collage of images of some of the tops and whips:

Now if The Great Alaska Bowl Company or a local woodworker could turn me a four to eight inch diameter top on their giant wood lathe, I could put a metal tip on it, make a simple home made whip, and I would be in business like these guys. A cheap and easy approach. (But all the fun of the big tops is also contained in the smaller, more portable ones that don't require a 15 foot radius to play with!)

Here's the relevant terminology:
打陀螺    = da tuoluo, spintop or whipping top
抽陀螺    = draw top in Chinese
鞭陀螺    = bian tuoluo, lit. "whip top" in Chinese

prism

2010-03-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

The first time I looked at this particular plan of Johan van Lengen for a bamboo house, I thought it was boring, the second time I saw that it was very strong, and the third made me realize that it was based on a simple polyhedra - a hexagonal prism, and the gable truss was simply a portion of a hexagon and hexagram combined. I then realized that all longhouses are essentially geometrical prisms. So here is one way of generating them. While the pentagonal prism is the simplest, the vertical posts on the hexagonal prism engenders a more intuitive design, and the steeper slope of the roof on Lengen's drawing is more aesthetically pleasing while allowing for the physical construction of the building using poles.

Below is a clearer image of how such a building could be constructed, with end and side view. The sheathing and roofing material is left out showing only the bare structural members. On the side view, the diagonal bracing members run from the bottom left to the upper right; an additional set running perpendicular to these may be added to improve rigidity. The sheathing, once added, will also contribute to the strength of the building.

In this layout, the downward force exerted by the ridge beam will tend to push apart the posts it rests upon, and so a better design would involve placing these two posts in the same plane, cutting their tops to allow them to rest against one another while cradling the ridge beam above. Fastened to the two ridge beam bearing posts (that form a more or less equilateral triangle shape) are the outside vertical posts and beam in a second plane. If the rafters locked together supporting each other in pairs, as they do in a Norwegain trestle frame building, then the ridge beam and its supporting posts would be unnecessary. But having a central beam eliminates much of the outward force the rafters would otherwise exert, thereby allowing a simpler wall structure. Also, the posts supporting the ridge beam help triangulate the structure, and thus serve a dual purpose. Despite these advantages, because the ridge beam rests on a joint (in buildings this tends to be a weak spot) and not a single post, the utility of this design is necessarily limited to small structures that do not need to bear too much weight. As this is only one of many plans Johan van Lengen provides, and he is writing to a particular target audience, I am sure he is more aware of this than I.

As all buildings, no matter how carefully conceived and crafted, are subject to eventual failure and dissolution, is there a way around this particular problem? As van Lengen describes the building, it is composed of lashed poles. In such buildings the lashings must be periodically tightened or replaced with new lashings. If built this way, then even if the ridge beam forces apart the joint it rests upon, periodical re-tightening will bring it back into its proper position. It is important to recognize that as builders, we often co-opt objects designed for one purpose and use them to fulfill another purpose for which they are only incidentally suited. A tree must only stand tall and bear vertical forces, but a building is composed of trees placed at many angles, and so joints are created that eventually will fail before the trees themselves do. If van Lengen's house were built of concrete, then the central equilateral triangle could be made without joints, or even turned into a catenary arch. If it were, there would be no problematic structural issues at all.

One solution arrived at hundreds of years ago is evident in the construction of the English "cruck house". The scale here is generally larger than the bamboo pole buildings described up till now. I had disliked the appearance of cruck frame houses, but now that I see them in a different light, they appear very interesting. Perhaps I could make a small one with poles?

Above is a simple illustration I made of a cruck house. The "ridge beam" (top red circle) rests on the "yoke" (short green bar) which binds the top of the "cruck blades" (blue diagonals). There is also a "tie beam" (longer green bar) and two "wall beams" (lower red areas), that support the lower end of the rafters (yellow diagonals). Also visible are two vertical posts (brown bars). Variations on this basic theme are visible in many cruck buildings, the photos of which are very instructive.

It is notable to mention that Ben Law built a house exactly like the one van Lengen drew and wrote a book documenting the entire process (a photo of one of his buildings is above). It was also featured on TV. Due to the careful attention to joinery details such a house would require, I would first build one like the cruck diagram I created, which I think would be simpler since it includes the "yoke", a detail excluded from Ben Law's design (though increasing its contemporary appeal).

3/20/10 I just got an inter-library loan book.

An interesting point and comparison of cruck buildings is made by N W Alcock, in his book Cruck Construction: An Introduction and Catalogue on the first page:

"Cruck trusses have only one essential joint, that at their apex holding the blades together. All their attached timbers can be removed or replaced, and even the feet (whether ground-fast or set on sill beams) can be reset without destroying their integrity. Furthermore, their apexes are well protected from weathering and decay. Contrast a box-framed building: its vital joint, between post, tie-beam, and wall-plate, is complicated, weakes the timbers, is exposed to the weather, and is unrepairable if it decays."

I would add that this arrangement of two cruck blades is also a minimalist design, as any fewer, that is to say just one central post, would not provide sufficient stability for a building.

sustainable community

2010-03-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

Last night after watching Food Inc. a few disparate ideas began to coalesce in my head. I wondered what it would be like if we got all our food locally. I wondered if peak oil would be followed by "peak food". I wondered how all the different businesses and people in my community worked together to provide the services and materials that were needed to sustain us. Our community is like an organism, or maybe a cell. What work do the people do? What do they need to know? How does it all function? The most appropriate buzz word for these ideas is "sustainable community". Sustainability really occurs at the community level, or at least I think that this is the smallest body capable of long term survival. An individual cannot sustain itself, it eventually dies. A nuclear family cannot sustain itself, but a community is a working, breeding population. It can supply a wide variety of services and work together to meet the needs of everyone from the strong to the weak. Traditionally a "community" has been defined as a group of interacting people living in a common location, in social units larger than a household. These interacting people are individuals in every sense of the word, who interact by necessity and due to proximity. A community is composed of diverse individuals.

There must be a balance between the needs of a community and the indivuduals of which it is composed. I am only thinking of community in terms of the smallest unit of long term sustainability and self-sufficiency, or in other words within the context of the global environment and anthropology. I'll avoid insinuating any political ideas as they would seem rather irrelevant to solving these very basic problems. Or at least I do not see how they can. Even today, when governments do not work to meet the needs of the people, it is the leaders of cities and towns, the mayors and council members, who (sometimes) set the example of higher standards. Cities have programs devoted to improving the well-being of its members, such as job centers, and the overall functioning of the city itself. I know of people who are active in a field of study called "comparative civilizations". While a civilization is on the larger scale of nations and cultures, usually a grouping of many communities (the only larger grouping is humanity as a whole), the basic lessons learned are similar. I want to know more about my community so I can help to make it sustainable, and to the extent possible, self-sufficient. I hadn't before thought of my life as depending upon the health of my community more than anything else, but perhaps this is true. Even more so in times of change.

Postscript: I would love to eat food that is: not "processed", in season, organic and not GM, and local. Satisfying just a few of those criteria is difficult.

2010 evolution of greenhouse concept (thus far)

2010-02-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

Maybe I should blame the planted aquarium I started late last year. After all, it is just as culpable in reigniting my interest in building outbuildings, and in particular a greenhouse, as anything else. I had a desire to expand a growing trend. Since the start of this year my ideas have evolved quite a bit. Here is a fairly comprehensive (yet incomprehensible) list detailing the evolution:

search through Wikipedia, my bookcase, local libraries, retailers, and organizations
high tunnel hoop houses
Farm Tek "EZ-Build & Gro Cold Frames"
"Greenhouse/sauna/chicken coop" combination idea
"50 dollar PVC hoop house" and "owenlea farm 4-year polyethylene film" examples
"yellow cedar gusseted gable roof" example w/ Ownelea steel pipe foundation
wood, plastic, steel, concrete foundation materials compared
stick frame, trestle frame, scissors truss, center kingpost structural systems considered
photovoltaic powered water reservoir pump and thermostat switched blower.
solar greenhouse
"giant cold frame using tripods and visqueen"
examples: "neighbor's shed", "new vendor's stalls at Farmer's Market", "covered carport"
Rob Roy's 10x16 post and beam sauna with (sod covered) shed roof.
"20x30 pole framed machine shop w/ carport/sauna/greenhouse combo" (and lumber rack) example
terraced dirt floor interior of greenhouse considered, like Mother Earth News article
"8x24 woodshed" example w/ "burnt wood siding"
foundation plans from "Build like a Pro: sheds" and "Shelter" (p46 - possible T&G sauna floor).
Roald Gunderson's greenhouses w/ branching “kingpost” columns
Calypso Farm's "catchment pond" idea
Raised flower and vegetable beds w/ log sections
manual water pump for below ground tank, new rainwater filter (not Wisy)
Van Lengen "gazebo" with benches/table/hanging plants
Pioneered (rope and pole) swinging bench (beam across two tripods secured w/ guy wires)
cable stabilized trees to prevent roof damage
West facing orientation instead of south.

Out of all that research has emerged plans for:
1) concentric rows of raised flower and vegetable beds encircling the yard, built of log sections. [dedicated time: two weeks]
2) a stick-framed shed-roofed greenhouse w/ attached sauna on north side. [dedicated time: two months]
3) a stick-framed shed-roofed shed. [dedicated time: one month]
4) a pole-framed hipped-roof gazebo with benches/table/hanging plants. [dedicated time: one week]
5) and a "pioneered" (rope and pole) swinging bench (beam across two tripods secured w/ guy wires). [dedicated time: two days]

I think I will start with the vegetable and flower beds first. With all the logs laying around my house, I have more than enough raw material. I'll fire up the chainsaw I bought last year and lay them on the ground, stacked no more than one or two lengths high and secured with stakes. For a more unusual look I could lay up short cordwood walls for the raised beds, which would let me form curved walls with straight sides more easily. They will rot after a few years and contribute to the richness of the soil; easily replaced. The scale of the raised beds will necessitate it to be an ongoing project. Unless protected under wire mesh, the moose will dine on the plants as they please.

Second I would like to build a pole-framed hipped-roof gazebo. This will be made from five four-inch peeled logs (possibly torched/treated) whose ends are buried in post holes. An additional four rafters and eight braces complete this simple structure. A woodchip floor, hanging baskets, simple table, and chairs make it a nice outdoor rest area. Roof and insect screening is optional.

Third, the swinging bench will be very easy to build and test for soundness. I have built similar structures before.

Fourth, the stick-framed shed-roofed shed will need to be built. The epitomy of simplicity in design, it will keep building materials for the last project dry and off the ground, as well as create a central location for all the other outdoor materials currently scattered around the house in the woods. Most lumber and wood scraps do not need a roof, but bikes, tires, gardening equipment, and some construction tools and materials will need shelter. A wood floor isn't necessary, but strong posts on concrete piers with rafters to hang objects from are needed.

Fifth, I would build the stick-framed shed-roofed greenhouse w/ attached sauna. This building with a long north south axis catches the western sun as it skims over the distant hills. The shed roof may be parallel to the slope of the ground. The sauna on the north end has a wood T&G floor supported by concrete piers, maybe a small western window too. Walk outside to cool off in the breeze following a hot sauna and view the sunset or aurora overhead. The greenhouse on the south side shares a common wall with the sauna, and a small door between the two, when opened, allows the sauna heater to heat the greenhouse. The greenhouse itself is a simple structure: twin wall polycarbonate panels cover the bare lumber frame of walls and roof, perforated by a single door and vents. The East wall may be insulated to half height. The interior contains a few long rows of raised growing beds for heat loving vegetables, and enough room for a few people to work and relax inside (see rough floorplan below).

Position of the buildings relative to each other:

Interior layout of the greenhouse w/ attached sauna, showing location of doors, stove, benches, and plant rows. (The bench in front of a door between sauna and greenhouse can be hinged to lift out of the way. The plant rows can be reduced from three to two depending on actual building width.):

longhouse variation

2010-02-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

For a long time I had considered using trestle frame construction for a greenhouse, the internal framework is heavily braced owing to the numerous triangulated sections. And it is simple- a series of trestles with two rows of beams extending as long as is needed. Fundamentally, virtually all structures follow this vertical post and horizontal beam layout, only here it is reduced to its essential features. The basic unit shows a heavily braced right angled hexahedral polyhedron (a cube, more or less).

Recently I was reconsidering Roald Gunderson's log buildings (see also here), where logs are used in place of dimensional lumber. He built a greenhouse that resembles a very primitive longhouse - one beam, supported by a single row of posts, and a gabled roof with low or absent walls. Although in such a design - kingpost columns supporting a central beam - the amount of cross bracing appears low when compared to trestle frame buildings, there are three cross braced sections in different planes that support one another. In fact any two of the sections can support each another, providing more than the minimal needed for a tripod. The kingpost (third section) adds structural support and permits easier construction.

The simple design of a kingpost supported A-frame with its single beam and row of columns can be very beautiful, as it is in the hands of Roald Gunderson:

Or the unknown builder of this Japanese minka built in 1789 from pg. 100 in Chuji Kawashima's Japan's Folk Architecture: Traditional Thatched Farmhouses:

Or Lloyd House, who build the Leaf House featured on pp. 18-19 in Builder's of the Pacific Coast by Lloyd Kahn. It is the simplest of all - a single beam at the ridge of the roof balanced on a single post.

Considering this variation on longhouse design has provided me with a more appreciative perspective. The utilization of posts, regardless of position within a building, is interesting. Here is a very simple central post in a building that may have branching supports in tree-like fashion - a more three dimensional aspect than most standard two dimensional trusses. The image comes from pg. 175 of The Barefoot Architect: A Handbook for Green Building by Johan van Lengen.

existential angst, part III

2010-02-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

The absolute freedom and responsibility we have is so pervasive it encompasses even the power to end our own lives. And though we have so much freedom, we do not have anything essential or fixed within our nature to guide our choices (hedonistic desire alone is no longer sufficient). If only we did! This is the feeling of existential angst, a basic human condition. In death alone, leaving all that one was behind, is one released from freedom, responsibility, and its attendant anxiety. Hence, the greatest source of fear also becomes a fearful temptation that the imagination fantasizes in when the burden of responsibility overwhelms any rewards life presents. Is this a method the mind uses to cope with stress? I would postulate that, operating under the principle of enantiodromia, it does have a cathartic effect. (To be sure, and mercifully so, for the uncompromised individual whose judgment is sound, and in light of the beauty and richness of continually unfolding human experience and the companionship of others, numerous other temporary and perfectly acceptable solutions are considered before taking any such permanent and irreversible action. Robert Service presented another perspective as well.)

But what is the purpose of cathartic self-sacrifice when it may be more effective yet to reflect on the impermanent nature of life? Nothing lives very long, really. It is saddest of all for me to realize that my own children will grow up tomorrow, mature, and die as surely as do all other things. As will my parents, my wife, and as will I. I could try to realize this eventual fate as intimately today as it will be tomorrow to live an "authentic life". From what may be regarded as the most appropriate of all perspectives, in a flash I am born, live, and die. What freedom and responsibility I have now, is over in an instant. And that instant is where I am right now.

Discontent
I have written before about dukkha, the Pali word for unsatisfactoriness, the condition of life identified by the Buddha. I had thought it was something to be prevented, an "avoidance goal" in effect. But as a basic condition, it really isn't something to be avoided or approached, it just is. In such a world the best that can be done really is to walk a middle path between extremes, keeping in mind a profound understanding of the pervasive quality of dukkha.

existential angst, part II

2010-02-12T13:21:00.000-08:00

The example provided by Haufniensis (Kierkegaard), and often cited online, to explain the concept of existential angst is from his book The Concept of Anxiety:

"Anxiety may be compared with dizziness. He whose eye happens to look down into the yawning abyss becomes dizzy. But what is the reason for this? It is just as much in his own eye as in the abyss, for suppose he had not looked down. Hence anxiety is the dizziness of freedom…"
- Kierkegaard, Søren (1980), The Concept of Anxiety, Princeton University Press, page 61

This selection alone says little about “the lure of vertigo” or how “the eye which looks down into the abyss both fears and desires it”. (An earlier English translation of the book contains the word “precipice” in this section.) The metaphor of “the fall” is rich, and John M. Hoberman in his essay "Kierkegaard on Vertigo" explores it very well. After reading his essay I learned that Sartre adopted Kierkegaard’s example and gave it a slightly different meaning, the one that I, and most other people with a casual interest in philosophy, associate with it.

"First we must acknowledge that Kierkegaard is right; anguish is distinguished from fear in that fear is fear of beings in the world whereas anguish is anguish before myself. Vertigo is anguish to the extent that I am afraid of not falling over the precipice, but of throwing myself over. A situation provokes fear if there is a possibility of my life being changed from without; my being provokes anguish to the extent that I distrust myself and my own reactions in that situation."
- Sartre "Being and Nothingness" trans. pub. 1966 pg. 65 or 2001 pg. 29

Hoberman comments on this selection in his essay, further illuminating it:

"Sartre's primary interest is to show the fact of human freedom and the flight from freedom, the nostalgia of the for-itself for the condition of the in-itslf (a nonhuman stasis). The temptation, as Kierkegaard points out in the second journal entry on vertigo, is to construe a pressure that comes from within as one that comes from without. To avoid anguish and vertigo, says Sartre, it is necessary "that I apprehend in myself a strict psychological determinism." Kierkegaard is far less interested both in the illusion that such a determinism represents and in the attendant wish to reify oneself. It is not Kierkegaard but Sartre, with his affinity for images of petrification, whose gaze is transfixed by the Biblical "heart of stone."

This is exactly the meaning I took from the description of existential angst I read that was attributed to Kierkegaard, a description that may owe more to Sartre’s reworking of it (though that attribution seems largely absent online). So it was very refreshing to find a citation I could locate within a work which confirmed my understanding of the concept. It is hard to tell if Hoberman takes a dim view of Sartre here, though his language seems to suggest so. But I agree with Sartre about the flight from freedom to a “in-itself” condition being a common human desire. What else is this but existential angst? I understand the desire to “apprehend in myself a strict psychological determinism” to avoid feeling that same existential angst. (Religions address this desire, but inappropriately I believe.) And I can see how imagining throwing myself over the precipice would be a quite effective way of reacting to the uneasy feeling of vertigo, the symbolic representation of existential angst. Sartre seems to have certainly understood the need to grapple with these powerful internal feelings in a creative way.

For an evaluation of Sartre's debt to Kierkegaard, see William McBride's "Sartre's Debts to Kierkegaard: A Partial Reckoning," in "Kierkegaard in Post/Modernity" ed. Martin Matustik and Merold Westphal 1995 pp. 18-42 [I have only seen this reference, but not read it.]

existential angst

2010-02-08T00:16:00.000-08:00

The mere fact that one has the possibility and freedom to do something, even the most terrifying of possibilities, can trigger immense feelings of dread. Take for example the experience one has when standing on a cliff where one not only fears falling off it, but also dreads the possibility of throwing oneself off. “I could throw myself off the cliff and nothing would stop me. That thought is so terrifying that I wish it were not even possible.” But the metaphor is more consoling than terrifying. With nothing to hold me back, I have the freedom, the responsibility, to choose my own destiny. I am always standing on the edge of a cliff gazing into the abyss. I could end it all with just one step. Or not. The “cure” for existential anxiety, the terrifying feeling of absolute freedom, is found by facing it in its ultimate form – the freedom to choose between life and death. Then we must make the choice to take responsibility for our own destiny and stop looking for external sources to compel us to act in one way or another. Existential anxiety will never leave, it is a basic human condition. And what better way to acknowledge it than this powerful metaphor. You're always standing on the edge of a cliff, the freedom is terrifying. But the terror brings with it a focused concentration and immediacy of experience that is lost if you recoil from it.

There is an odd mental process that can go on here, where someone is so afraid of one thing that they will do the opposite, even though they are fearful of that as well. "If I throw myself over, then I don't have to worry about falling off." That would release one from absolute freedom into the hands of fate. The choice made is not responsible, but the burden of making it has been lifted and the desire for a predetermined destiny has been fulfilled. For some, a bad future that is known is preferable to a future of free choices and individual responsibility.

Sources and references:
The original example is from Begrebet Angest (The Concept of Dread), by Kierkegaard.

Haufniensis uses the example of a man standing on the edge of a tall building or cliff. When the man looks over the edge, he experiences a focused fear of falling, but at the same time, the man feels a terrifying impulse to throw himself intentionally off the edge. That experience is anxiety or dread because of our complete freedom to choose to either throw oneself off or to stay put. The mere fact that one has the possibility and freedom to do something, even the most terrifying of possibilities, triggers immense feelings of dread. Haufniensis called this our "dizziness of freedom."

Existentialism - Wikipedia

The archetypal example [of existential angst] is the experience one has when standing on a cliff where one not only fears falling off it, but also dreads the possibility of throwing oneself off. In this experience that "nothing is holding me back", one senses the lack of anything that predetermines one to either throw oneself off or to stand still, and one experiences one's own freedom.

Dread - New World Encyclopedia

He uses the example of a man who when standing on the edge of a cliff realizes that he could hurl himself over the edge at any moment. In this way, the man recognizes his own intrinsic freedom and the possibility of deciding his own destiny. This recognition triggers a kind of “dizziness of freedom” in which the man becomes aware also of his own responsibility.

Bad faith - Wikipedia

Between "a bad future that is known" (suicide) and "a future of free choices and individual responsibility" (authentic living) is living in "bad faith", an inauthentic life. Many people find themselves living here for most of their lives. I believe that if one considers this mental exercise I've outlined above, they could change their perspective on living and reach for an authentic life, the only real choice to be made.

Minka

2010-02-03T00:16:00.000-08:00

Composed mostly of big gorgeous pictures of minka, I read through Chuji Kawashima's 260 page “Japan's Folk Architecture: Traditional Thatched Farmhouses” in two days. It is a great book that has probably done more to help me understand these buildings than anything else. It is a well written, fairly comprehensive, and rationally organized introduction to the subject. As with any good book, I took notes as I read and ended up with a full page. One house that was interesting, to take an example, is the sao-ie style of minka in Miyazaki Prefecture (described on page 108). It literally means “clothes-drying-pole house”, but is essentially laid out in the so-called longhouse configuration (also called heiretsu-gata). Later on page 162-164 (in the Longhouse subsection of the Hipped Roof section of Part 3: Styles) an example of this style of minka is given: the Takeyoshi Migita house (Shiba-mura, Higashi Usuki-gun, Miyazaki Pref.). Figure 270 is a floorplan drawing of the house; it is elegant in its simplicity, yet it also contains all the distinctive features of minka. Why longhouses in Japan? Here they are an adaptation to building on narrow terraces cut into the slope of steep terrain that does not permit building wide houses.

If the structural layout of the Migita house could best be described as linear (and it could), then the Nohara house (a modestly porportioned gassho-zukuri minka, page 115) would be called symmetrical. The visual impact of the stout ushi-bari beam bisecting the length of the house with curved chona-bari beams perpendicularly flanking it on either side gives the impression of a rib cage (see picture). Japanese minka are fascinating for their materials, craftsmanship, and variety.

Fig. 270 (Migita house):

Fig. 186. Nohara house. Late 18th cent. Original location: Higashi Tonami-gun, Toyama Pref. Present location: Nihon Minka-en, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Pref.:

Fig. 187. The heavy ushi-bari running down the center of the building has eliminated the need for any interior posts.:

goal mapping

2010-02-01T18:17:00.001-08:00

I want to represent my goals in a new format, a sort of hierarchy/network/flow chart. I guess the best way to describe is is like those “Internet map” images, a tangled mass of nodes and rays connecting to one another. My “goal map” would also be many dimensional, so that it could contain all different kinds of information about those goals, even including the particular seasons the goals become more/less important, etc. I started it already, but it will be very hard to create it in electronic format, even harder to periodically update as needed. I wouldn't imagine that there is a freeware program that could help me do this? (Hmm... looks like there is, more to come here later...)

(Update 2/3/10)
And the software I chose to try is called FreeMind, which is very easy to use and the results are nice. But there are a lot of other interesting options available. I ran into one hitch while installing it that was solved by temporarily changing one of the language preferences on my computer (so that it would run in English instead of Japanese). It was a simple solution that I found here.

Here are two mind maps I made using this program:

Cruzbike Quest

2010-01-24T03:07:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I learned about what may be my new lust-after bike. It's called Quest and made by recumbent manufacturer Cruzbike. There are a lot of neat things about it. It is competing against other small foldable recumbent bikes, like Flite made by Toxy, and it actually folds to a smaller size than that bike. (Though admittedly, there are a lot of variables that go into that measurement.) But the best thing is the lower pedal height available on the 20 inch model, that is the one I would get. I am still enamored with the Optibike, as well as Rans' Crank Forward bikes, and the Tour Easy, but this one wins for curb appeal, at least until conceptual bikes like Gary Hale's Glider or Jeremy Garnet's direct drive recumbent (but with a narrower q-factor) are developed or become more widely available. Perhaps a combination of an Optibike and Quest is in order. See a video of the Quest in action. I'll be honest, this eye candy just looks like it would be fun to ride with the rear rack, and added fenders, and clipless pedals. (Update 1/28/10: see my conversation with the bike's designer.)

The bike, with a retail price of $1,430.00:

Looks very similar to this Downtube folder, modified with a Cruzbike conversion kit, doesn't it?:

If only I could ride it, like this lucky fellow:

Images from the webpage illustrating the wide adjustability of the Cruzbike Quest model:

(Update 2/5/10) I have a BikeE AT, and one of the characteristics I love about it is that it allows a very open hip angle at the bottom of the power stroke while I am in a semi-reclined position applying pressure against the seat back. The Quest appears to allow a similar position, only slightly more closed. But I believe I should temper my judgment on this point by considering two other things: 1) comfort may be increased by having a "moving bottom bracket" in the forward wheel drive setup and 2) my only other point of comparison (besides the BikeE) is the more closed riding position of my EZ3 trike, which is heavy and less nimble than a bike, so there is no wonder it may be less comfortable overall. To compare riding positions between a bikeE and a Quest (that's not me on the BikeE, I found the picture online):

how to implement goals

2010-01-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

When it comes to achieving goals, it has been long recognized that simply having goals isn't enough, though it is a start. One way of trying to make goals a reality is expressed with the acronym SMART. According to this approach goals should be: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Trackable (but you'll find other substitutions for these words as well). I have tried to use this with some of my clients, with mixed results.

I recently came across another method that appears to hold more promise for reaching goals, through the formation of implementation intentions. In short, one makes predecisions of the format: if situation X is encountered, then I will perform behavior Y. (To this one can add "even if..." and/or "so that I can [goal]" to the end of the sequence.) This all goes back to self-regulation and the T.O.T.E. model of feedback loops, where an implementation intention defines the "operate" portion of that sequence. The wonderful thing about implementation intentions is that conscious intent is not needed and goal directed action can become virtually automatic. Since behavioral cues are now in the environment; thinking or reminding oneself about the goal is no longer the primary stimulus for action. It is especially useful for resisting temptations and, by extension, may also be used for impulse control as well. Studies have shown that this is an effective strategy for performing tasks such as math homework, and it can even help six-year olds to not procrastinate. Temptation-inhibiting implementation intentions are not immune to self-deception however, so this approach isn't by any means a panacea.

Here's an example:
Primary Goal: Maintain personal health, and employee and academic performance.
Secondary Goal: Improve my digital media and language skills.
Implementation Intentions (taking only primary goals into account right now):
If dishes have been in the sink for more than three days, then I will do them. If it is six o'clock at night, then I will do my math homework for one hour. If I have documentation to finish, then I will do that at work. If I want to read a construction book, or use the Internet, then I will, provided there are no dishes, math, or documentation remaining to be done and it is earlier than eight at night.

Cabin fever Takedown: It never had a chance

2010-01-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

Winter time in the Tanana Valley is cold, dry, and dark (but McKelvey Valley beats it on all three counts). Organisms here must either leave or adapt when the conditions become increasingly harsh. This adaptation can be both biological and behavioral. Humans tend to simply transform their immediate environment to suit their needs, spending nearly the entire winter in enclosed buildings, where an "African savanna" environment is artificially sustained. This is in contrast to warmer locations, such as Cappadocia where people have lived in places such as Uçhisar Hill and Castle, which is a large block of sedimentary rock sitting on a hill with rooms and stairways carved into it. (Uçhisar Castle puts Gaudi to shame, and Gaudi is peerless.) Sustaining emotional/psychological health in a harsh environment is also a concern. An indoor aquatic garden can relieve cabin fever. This winter around Christmas time I had unintentionally bred Buenos Aires tetras, and three lucky fry are now half an inch long and thriving in a separate tank. This is not a common event, in fact I think it puts me in a whole other class of fish expertise. (Still, though, it is more common than keeping a walking sea pig.)

Another way to relieve cabin fever is to do more outdoor activities. This summer I plan to build a few small outbuildings: a woodshed, a greenhouse, and a sauna. A sauna is a lot of fun in winter, its just a wood box with a stove. A greenhouse can allow an aquatic gardening hobby to explode in the summer, produce an abundance of fresh vegetables for the kitchen, and provide a platform for experimenting with photovoltaic power. A woodshed will keep my wheeled steeds ready for a ride at a moments notice, provide much needed outdoor storage to keep the property looking tidy, and allow me to test the appearance of shou-sugi-ban (焼杉板). After learning a few things about construction, I feel these projects (or at least one of them) lie within my means and ability to complete this summer. For a basic foundation, I will use flat solid concrete blocks and/or triangular concrete pier blocks with flat or slotted tops (to accept a beam or post). Some of these have anchor bolts and metal brackets already set. This should be sufficient on well drained soil that does not expand when freezing. A trip to the local hardware and lumber store is definitely planned! I'll need a good reference book, like Joseph Truini's “Build Like a Pro: Building a Shed”. I know that these aspirations depend upon my personal health, and my employee and academic performance, and that they should be balanced with improving my digital media and language skills. It's a reachable goal that requires my full conscientious effort.

Architectural flair is essentially unnecessary. Here are two pictures, one from pg. 46 of Shelter by Lloyd Kahn and the other from pg. 172 of Low-cost pole building construction by Doug Merrilees, Ralph Wolfe, and Evelyn V. Loveday. The first describes how to build a shed floor, the other is a basic shed. This is primary reference material for the building projects. With glazing in place of wood siding, I have a greenhouse. With wood siding and a stove, I have a sauna. With just wood siding, I have a shed. One basic format, three different buildings.

This "parting shot" is Figure 4 on page 14, from the Introduction to "A Solar Design Manual for Alaska" by Richard Seifert, Energy and Housing Specialist. Accompanying text explains: "Basic solar geometry at noon during different seasons, showing how the changing effects of seasonal solar elevation affect the optimum tilt of a surface for collecting solar energy..." Each season is drawn from the perspective of an imaginary point in space somewhere in the plane of the Earth's orbit.

advice

2010-01-17T21:34:00.000-08:00

Hindsight turned into Foresight:
Imagine meeting your future self.
What advice would he/she have to say to you?
What advice would he/she not say to you?
Listen closely, now is your opportunity.

As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20, so why not turn it into foresight?

Feuerbach

2009-12-27T04:14:00.000-08:00

I came across a reference to Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach, and later read that he arrived at an interesting conclusion, which appears near the beginning of his book The Essence of Christianity, in Chapter 4, pages 52 and 53:

Who then is our Saviour and Redeemer? God or Love? Love; for God as God has not saved us, but Love, which transcends the difference between the divine and human personality. As God has renounced himself out of love, so we, out of love, should renounce God; for if we do not sacrifice God to love, we sacrifice love to God, and in spite of the predicate of love, we have the God—the evil being—of religious fanaticism.

Years ago I renounced religion when my attempts to defend Christianity against a growing sense of personal integrity had been strained to the breaking point. I found that all that mattered in religious faith was love. So here I agree with Feuerbach - all actions must reflect the value of love, no harmful actions should be committed in the name of unsupportable belief. Though to many this sounds like heresy, to me it is the fulfillment of the ethical impulse guided by faith, and virtually axiomatic.

In other news, I have replaced my "To do" list with a "Will I do?" list, which better acknowledges the uncertain outcome of my intentions. The future is full of irresistible questions.

Some people explain their religious faith as founded upon a personal relationship with God which, of course, one must have in order to properly understand and debate upon its merits. I could say that my reasons for not believing in God are also based on a personal relationship, not a relationship with God, but a personal relationship with real people like you and me. But rhetoric does little to sway opinion, while personal experience is given the greatest weight.

An existential view of society

2009-12-08T05:35:00.001-08:00

At the risk of committing the sin of psychological projection, I have entertained the idea that corruption exists at all levels in business and politics. This isn't a new idea (for examples in popular culture see Moore's latest documentary "Capitalism"), and is largely accepted anyway. It forms a large portion of media coverage. But it is also easy to overlook since it is less transparent in some situations than others. Just the other day I was talking with a co-worker about the TV series "Weeds" and the character of the corupt mayor came up. It was a perfect example in fiction.

In support of this I might allude to a Hobbesian discourse on how life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short," which is true some of the time, but not in all cases. Or I could quote Orson Welles who is reputed to have said “We`re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we`re not alone.” I think it would be a mistake to take that literally, I believe he means more of psychological isolation and aloneness experienced as a consequence of the generally, and often unintentionally, egocentric behavior of most people. I have found it very true that only you can make your values manifest through your actions, nobody else can or will do it for you.

Would a habit of having a cynical opinion of the motives and behavior of other people really just conceal my own desire to improve, by comparison, the regard in which I hold myself? In other words, lift myself up by putting you down? Would that thereby also improve my ability to justify, again by comparison, my own behavior or misbehavior? To these questions I answer: I don't think so, as cynicism pervades all thought and the cynical person's opinion of themselves is not immune to the same skepticism directed at others. But one benefit from recognizing the actual pervasiveness of corrupt and/or egocentric behavior is realizing that the professed standards of conduct and actual standards of conduct people (and businesses and governments) live by are two different things. This could eliminate some of the social anxiety that can accompany a fear of not meeting the professed standards of conduct. In reality few, if any people, ever do.

Having written all that, I must state for the record that I think people are generally good. Or at least we try to be.

Planted aquariums

2009-12-07T02:34:00.000-08:00

On two occasions this past summer I biked down to the local lake with my clients and dip netted for pond animals to pique their curiosity. Though I got a lot of damselfly larvae, leeches, worms, ostracods and daphnia, the gammarus amphipods were my main target (I have tried and gave up on keeping them before). I brought them back to my aquaria where they have proven to be more resilient than I thought. Due their low numbers, I doubt that they have been able to reproduce yet, and they are still vulnerable to the blender-like blade of my aquarium pump (I should sew a sponge cover over the intake). But they have survived for over three months so far in very healthy condition.

In an effort to fortify their diet with more natural and abundant fare, I decided to buy fast-growing aquarium plants. Which of course required that I then provide the plants with proper growing conditions. I took the incandescent and a flourescent lighting fixtures from two standard 10 gallon aquarium hoods (which I already had) and placed them on one ten gallon tank over a plate glass lid. I plugged them into a digital outlet timer that is set to come on at 7:00am and turn off at 8:30pm with a "siesta" from 12:00pm to 12:45pm (I read this inhibits algae growth somehow). The natural daylight schedule is also supposedly good for the plants, which I guess need to sleep too. The timer also makes maintenance a snap. I use one on my other tank at home, and I think the fish really do benefit from a dependable schedule.

As I learned more about growing aquarium plants, this endeavor began to take on a life of its own aside from the original purpose of supplying food for my amphipods. It is a lot of fun. On the Internet, The Planted Tank is very useful for gaining more information. But back to my planted aquarium, I bought several different plants that are either fast growing or interesting:

Egeria densa (anacharis)
Cabomba caroliniana (cabomba or fanwort)
Anubias (anubias)
Limnobium laevigatum (Amazon frogbit)
Lemna minor (duckweed)
Salvinia minima (water spangles, a floating fern)
Taxiphyllum barbieri (Java moss)
Aegagropila linnaei (marimo or algae ball)

The anacharis and cabomba are my super fast growing submerged plants. I hope they perform well so I can prune them and distribute to my other tanks. The anubias is a typical plant looking plant. It looks very nice, but grows slow. The frogbit, duckweed, and water spangles are all floating plants. They are supposed to grow well, but I mostly just like they way they look. I have had the Java moss for over three years, it grows in a tangled mat and is impossible to kill. I bought the marimo ball the other day because it was huge and I like marimo a lot. It grows slow and looks uber cool suspended in the water current in a crude sling fashioned from plastic water plants.

The only animals that I am aware of in the aquarium are several common small snail species, no more than a few small gammarus amphipods, and about ~~five~~ three ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.) that I bought to keep the plants clean. Suffice to say, the only animals I can keep in a plant tank cannot be big voracious vegetarians. No crayfish. Time will tell how successful this setup is, but so far I am well pleased.

Regarding a planted aquarium, there is much talk of the difficulty of particular plant species, and of getting specific growing conditions/ water parameters right. But this misses the point that in general, plants are very adaptable and forgiving. One of the main reasons I decided to grow aquarium plants is because they can grow fast and create a lush appearance. This is what wetlands are good at. If one plant type fails under the growing conditions you provide, use another one that will grow for you. Any body of water outdoors will have growing plants nearby. Why? Because nature found the right match between plant species and environmental conditions. All you have to do is the same thing. Light and heat, water and air, nutrients.

Parent-Offspring Conflict

2009-12-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

This morning I read Robert Triver's article "Parent-Offspring Conflict" that appeared in the journal American Zoologist way back in 1974. It is a very important article on the subject of evolution, and identified the process from which the article takes its title.

The article is divided into several main subsections:

Parent-offspring conflict over the continuation of parental investment
Conflict throughout the period of parental investment over the amount of parental investment
The time course of parent-offspring conflict
Disagreement over the sex of the offspring
The offspring as psychological manipulator
Parent-offspring conflict over the behavioral tendencies of the offspring
Conflict over the adult reproductive role of the offspring
The role of parental experience in parent-offspring conflict

According to evolutionary theory, each organism attempts to maximize its reproductive success and perpetuate copies of its own genes. Since the genes of the parents and offspring are different, though at the same time related, this creates and undercurrent of competition in an otherwise nurturing relationship. Conflict between parent and offspring occurs in any sexually reproducing organisms, and the parental investment in the offspring either positively or negatively affects the fitness of both in different ways. Offspring are not "passive vessels into which parents pour the appropriate care. Once one imagines offspring as actors in this interaction, then conflict must be assumed to lie at the heart of sexual reproduction itself."
I found several sections in the paper particularly interesting. This one underscores the situation of children in relation to their parents:

Throughout the period of parental investment the offspring competes at a disadvantage. The offspring is smaller and less experienced than its parent, and its parent controls the resources at issue. Given this competitive disadvantage the offspring is expected to employ psychological rather than physical tactics.

And this describes why parents want their children to be nice to each other, though the children are more likely to fight among themselves:

An individual is only expected to perform an altruistic act toward its full-sibling whenever the benefit to the sibling is greater than twice the cost to the altruist [because they are only half related to their siblings]... But parents, who are equally related to all of their offspring, are expected to encourage all altruistic acts among their offspring in which the benefit is greater than the cost, and to discourage all selfish acts in which the cost is greater than the benefit.

Source: Trivers, Robert L. "Parent-Offspring Conflict" American Zoologist 1974 14(1):249-264

comparative awareness

2009-11-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

Today I was thinking about evolutionary psychology, which seems not too far removed from the philosophy and theory of mind. It all began late last night, when I read that pulmonate snails and vetigastropod snails are less closely related to each other than I am to a goldfish. Talk about a shift in perspective!

It is common knowledge that experiments with lab mice are useful to understanding basic physiological processes that humans and mice share in common, and thankfully there are quite a few of those (or the experiments would be far less useful). It is an unavoidable conclusion that if I am so closely related to goldfish, I am surely much more closely related to mice. Yet obviously mice and humans are very different. But what constitutes that difference? I think it is the more developed neural circuitry and complex behavior that most distinguishes me from a goldfish or mouse, more so than any anatomically evolved traits. In other words, whether or not I can formulate the thoughts for making this blog entry is more significant than whether I have hands or I am covered in gold scales and live in a fishbowl. To the point: If complex behavior distinguishes me from a goldfish better than physical form, perhaps it is a more useful tool for distinguishing animals.

Is it possible to quantifiably compare the mental experiences of two different organisms? Is thought a scalable function, and does each conscious being fall somewhere on a "continuum of thinking"? Is there an "evolution of thought" describable with a "taxonomy of mind"? Does it make sense to talk about a classification of awareness or neural functioning within the context of evolutionary psychology? I don't have an answer to any of these potentially illuminating questions. In the final assessment, this chain of speculation may be a dead end, as speaking of conscious thought may have little utility outside of a handful of organisms, and even among those it may only have marginal utility. Evolutionary psychology is a field of study originally concerned with humans and our immediate ancestry, not much else. Consider this entry by PZ Myers on the relative insignificance of intelligence from a biological perspective.

A few days ago I was pondering "What does it mean to be a father? How does that position shape my understanding of myself and my relationship to everything else?" From an evolutionary psychology perspective, this is a developmental question. I became a father after first being a child, and this question would have made little sense to me 20 years ago, but today it is very relevant and influences my conscious understanding of the world. As I grow older this understanding will continue to be informed and shaped by new and changing conditions, forcing me to grow and adapt. Conscious thought is so maleable and fragile, any approach at placing it within a taxonomic system would have to be very different from classification techniques based on physiological and genetic markers.

the hamster pump

2009-11-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

I made a hamster powered aquarium pump. The hamster runs on a wheel, turning the axle and a second wheel also fixed to the axle but hanging outside the cage and partially immersed in an aquarium. The spinning wire mesh of the wheel creates a current in the aquarium thereby oxygenating the water and preventing stagnation. No glue was used during assembly, the only tool I used was a file (to make the holes in the exercise wheels slightly larger). If it rusts, I can paint it with latex or any "food safe" paint. Materials used: two 10 gallon aquariums, a "tank topper" cage, two 7 inch exercise wheels, a threaded rod, nuts, washers (two sizes), small diameter plastic pipe, and dental floss.

The 3 inch wide by 7 inch diameter wheel intersects the water over a length of about 3.5 inches, and is submerged to a depth of about .25 inches. With minimal effort I was able to spin the exercise wheel inside the aquarium "tank topper" and produce a significant current inside the pot of water. In addition, the wire mesh of the exercise wheel produced small bubbles in the water. If this wheel was similarly placed in a ten gallon aquarium at the same depth, I believe a running hamster could produce an above average rate of flow when compared to that of most aquarium pumps. Problems with inconsistent operation could be solvable by setting up several cages in tandem, but let's not get ridiculous! (As opposed to what I am describing here, which is of course entirely sane.)

To imagine this set up in its final state, you have to picture the tank topper on a ten gallon aquarium, complete with hamster and accessories. Sitting parallel to and beside the hamster enclosure is another ten gallon tank, elevated slightly to allow the wheel to intersect the surface of the water as described above. Approximately centered in the water, the spinning wheel would produce a current regardless of which direction it is turning. The aquarium could house several small and hardy fish, invertebrates, or other organisms.

In this diagram the front view shows the aquarium tank topper above the aquarium beside another 10 gallon aquarium. Though not included in the illustration, a wire ladder allows a hamster to climb to the wire floor of the tank topper, a "second level" inside the enclosure. The hamster wheel is at the height of this second level.

See additional photos and drawings of previous designs: photo, photo, drawing, and drawing. (Note that in the photos the wheel is oriented perpendicular to the longest dimension of the aquarium - current plans call for parallel orientation of the wheel to improve water flow.)

Buddhism Without Beliefs

2009-11-01T02:58:00.000-08:00

I finished reading "Buddhism Without Beliefs" a few days ago. In the first chapter Stephen Batchelor explained how the four truths Gautama taught (understanding anguish, letting go of its origins, realizing its cessation, and cultivating the path) is the process of awakening "unfolding in your own mind at this moment". Awakening is a process, not a thing to be attained. It is "an authentic way of being in the world", not a lofty goal. Equally important is understanding that:

"This trajectory is no linear sequence of "stages" through which we "progress." We do not leave behind an earlier stage in order to advance to the next rung of some hierarchy. All four activities are part of a single continuum of action."

I think I understand how this may be. To give an example, I can confront the anguish of one situation and deal with it, but that does not mean I have defeated all possible sources of anguish in my life once and for all. It will reappear again and again in different forms, and every time I will employ each of these four phases Gautama taught. And though it may be possible to engage in one of them without the others, it would be a very unbalanced and ineffective approach. This irreducible quality of the four noble truths is good at combating obsession, so it is nice to see it here. Not merely an article of faith, they are something to be acted upon (and tested first).

One of the difficulties I encountered in understanding this was trying to figure out what the origins of anguish are. I think it is that I don't often enough see the real characteristics of the world, such as transiency, and the inter-dependency of everything, or the need for compassion. Some of the more esoteric schools of Buddhism dwell upon these subjects, and they are an important part of the whole. Essentially, Gautama was motivated by compassion to awaken people to the same realization he had arrived at, and this is the method he used. It's a very positive and affirming approach, and I think it works fairly well.

A carnival of Eastern things

2009-10-26T00:54:00.000-07:00

I have begun to read Stephen Batchelor's book "Buddhism Without Beleifs". So far I have been impressed by his erudition. It is telling that he has attracted his share of criticism as well. In an article by John Horgan for Slate, he asks Batchelor why he should even bother calling himself Buddhist at all, since he doesn't go in for all the supernatural stuff anyway. Good question. But I think it is the pride of tradition combined with the relative difficulty of transplanting the Buddhist value system into another ethical framework. No sense in doing that without good reason.

I really like the look of shou-sugi-ban (焼杉板) or "burnt wood siding" ever since I saw it in an issue of Dwell magazine describing the work of Terunobu Fujimori. It would look nice on a garage (buildings which have become by default the modern equivalent of a shed or barn). With a shed roof to match my house it would look very nice. Maybe a small water heater, insulation, vapor barrier, and attached three season greenhouse?

Any independent scholars out there that would care to write a paper for the ISCSC? I know the receiving editor and they have a list of suggestions to get your creative juices flowing.

Takashi Amano

2009-10-19T01:14:00.000-07:00

This is an image of Mr. Amano's big room aquarium during its installation. It is a perfect example of how a love for aquariums can be incorporated into one's house. At this point in its construction, no electrical appliances have yet been installed. It is just a bare tank with the walls and roof surrounding it. You can see skylight behind the tank - apparently there is some sort of window or clear skylight roof that allows natural light (southern exposure?) over the top of the tank. This tank is enormous, but of course the larger the tank the better it is to observe the natural ecology of its inhabitants. I chose this image because I am most interested in the way in which the tank was setup. But to really appreciate it you have to see it full of emergent plants and schools of tropical fish (as most pictures of the tank do, just visit the links below). It is essentially in its own alcove off the side of a large room. In some images you will see that the wall to the right is completely open to a traditional Japanese garden.

Sources:
http://www.akvaportal.cz/?id=31
http://viktorlantos.com/wordpress/2009/01/20/akvariumok-takashi-amano-orias-akvariuma/

Japan in '09

2009-10-10T02:55:00.000-07:00

I took a short trip to Japan with the whole family recently; it was the first time for my children. They had their ups and downs, but overall I think it was a positive experience for them. The day we left one of them got sick and it seemed for a few hours that the whole trip was in jeopardy of being canceled. But a quick trip to the ER and some medicine in hand and we were back on schedule.

The plane flight was long, but the Airbus A300 we took across the Pacific had small monitors for each passenger to choose from among a large selection of movies and other media. After arriving in Tokyo we stayed at a nice hotel before taking the Shinkansen north to my wife's hometown. (I can't say enough good things about taking the bullet train. I'm hopeful that America develops its own high speed rail network.) The majority of the 18 days we were in Japan were spent with my wife's parents. They were awesome hosts and the food was great. I must have consumed every lifeform that naturally occurs in the ocean, usually raw, and often within hours after it was harvested. For the kids the number one food was natto. It's very good and may be worth trying to make ourselves as it is practically impossible to buy locally.

The previous two times I had visited was during the middle of winter, but this time it was harvest season in Japan and the rice fields were golden! Many of them had a harvesting machine sitting out near them, some were harvested while others were not. It was also typhoon season. But while we were there the weather was either sunny or overcast, but generally warm and pleasant. I can count at least three barbecues I ate at. The meat on the BBQ is always seafood - squid, scallops, oysters, tunicates ("hoya"), fish - with the exception of pork for yakitori, and beef tongue. Also on the barbie is a variety of veggies, like corn, kabocha squash, eggplant, and peppers. I have to mention the fresh fruit I ate. The grapes are incomparable to any I have ever eaten in America. Very soft and silky texture and a perfumey taste. Some are almost the size of small oranges! I had some of the best peaches (momo) and pears I'd ever eaten as well when we drove through Fukushima, which is known for its delicious fruit. The ever present vending machines provided new experiences too. I discovered I love grape juice with chunks of aloe vera in it, conveniently sold in a small aluminum can by minute maid.

We played at the beach, and visited two public aquariums and a zoo. I saw a pineapple sea cucumber, but no giant isopod. I had the very pleasant experience of having my hand nibbled on by dozens of "Doctor Fish" (Garra rufa). I took notice of the local wildlife. Spiders were everywhere, some were very large and their webs could span meters. The sheer numbers of them were amazing. I also saw a dead snake and praying mantis, several frog species, tadpoles, and other invertebrates. Pomegranate trees bearing fruit were a common sight. Though unremarkable to most people, I took notice (and photos) of these smaller wonders. At one Shinto shrine we visited (Shiogama Jinja) there was a flock of pigeons. We bought some food to feed them and as I held it the birds landed on my hand, arms, and shoulders and ate directly from my hand. As beautiful as the shrine I had just walked through was, this experience of complete trust and docility shown to me by the birds made it all pale in comparison. Occasionally, at the sight or sound of something the birds would startle and the whole flock flew off, circle round in the air, then return to seek more food. I could feel a gust of wind from the combined flapping of so many wings. The kids loved chasing the pigeons. But this is not to say that Shiogama Jinja and other shrines (like Takekoma Jinja) and Buddhist temples were not breathtaking in their own right. Walking on the grounds one is constantly aware of the great age of the place evident in the sculptures, buildings, stairs, and especially the giant and weathered trees.

While walking to the post office once we stopped at a daycare that allowed other children to visit and play. The kids there approached me, and asked "nanijin?", or "what nationality are you?" and they wanted to know the English translation to simple Japanese words. These little kids aged two to four swarmed around me and the high pitch and volume of their combined voices made their individual requests nearly impossible for me to understand. Rarely ever have I been honored with so much eager attention.

We took the ferry to Hokkaido and stayed there two nights to visit extended family. The first day the kids went butterfly (chocho) catching. The family in Hokkaido is warm, funny, and knows how to have a good time. There were nine little kids there all under the age of five (including mine among them), so one night we set off fireworks and sparklers. Another day we went to a hot springs, and another we made soba noodles from scratch. (In years past we made mochi from scratch.) There was even a karate demonstration with participation by the kids encouraged. What a beautiful setting they live at too - the equivalent of an American farm or homestead. We drove to the top of a high grassy hill where wild grapes grew and a warm breeze blew, and took in the view of the surrounding area. It was a happy reunion. There are countless horse farms in the area. We often walked to a nearby farm and called "Po po po po!" and the horses came to greet us for a soft pet and some offered grass. They are healthy and fast. A friend there showed me some beetles (kabutomushi) he caught that are almost the size my palm. My avid interest in wildlife is well known.

My wife celebrated her birthday with a shopping spree, great dinner, and fruit covered cake. We bought a fancy rice cooker that senses the moisture content and cooks under pressure. (I think it is nearly an equal to my laptop in computing power and may even be self-aware.) I must mention the automobiles in Japan, and the most noticeable among them are the "Kei" cars and trucks. These are the smallest vehicles; I think they are so cool looking. At one of numerous stops we made at the convenience stores that dot the landscape I saw a Suzuki "Twin". This is the smallest Kei car I saw. Of course, I snapped a picture. On the way to another hot springs we stayed overnight at, we stopped at Shiroishi castle. Massive timber construction, huge boulder foundation, very cool. On the way back we visited a park filled with traditional old style Japanese buildings. Many of them had thatched roofs supported by lashed poles used as rafters. My desire has been to emulate these methods and so I took careful notice of the details. The location among the trees and bamboo stands was very beautiful.

My wife saw old and new friends, and the kids played with their cousins whom they met for the first time. During breaks between activities, I studied Japanese. I am trying unorthodox methods to improve my language skill, approaching from as many angles as possible. I think reading some manga like Yotsuba-to! by Kiyohiko Azuma, or maybe Doraemon, Chibi Mariko-chan, Sazae-san, Otoko Oidon, or Omusubi Kororin might be useful. At least so I've heard. When I came back home I learned how to hack the DVD player to see Hayao Miyazaki anime since it doesn't support DVDs from Japan. Tonight the choice between watching Nausicaa or Mononoke Hime was difficult.

On the flight back across the Pacific I watched "My Sister's Keeper" and reflected that I sometimes don't see reality, maybe because it isn't always pretty, but it is the only reality we have. I guess what I'm saying is that I often catch myself trying to operate "up here" on some detached cerebral level, when I need to operate "down here" where dissatisfaction is a common part of life. Is that what the phrase "keeping it real" means? Self reflection was another pleasure I enjoyed while on vacation. I fondly recall a conversation with my father in law that began when he asked me the ultimately unanswerable question "What is most important to you?" Whatever that answer may be, he sought to convey it through art, to stimulate the experience of this in the people who behold his art. The last 18 days provided me with many good experiences I will reflect on for a long time.

One crayfish, one bowl, seven months.

2009-09-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

Most likely Procambarus clarkii. For reference, the bowl has a diameter of 16cm (about 6.25 inches). And just in case you're wondering, the crayfish spent those seven months in a 29 gallon aquarium, not the bowl.

Ainu and Sioux

2009-09-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

(Here is a simple 3D drawing of the way the shed was put together.) Impatient with my progress on the shed (in light of the decreasing time available in which to complete it), I returned to the drawing board looking for a simpler means to building a structure for outdoor storage, while trying not to compromise my core aesthetic ideals. The first thing that could be simplified is the complex joinery in a Norwegian trestle frame building. For while the way the joints lock together is beautiful, the cuts take considerable time and energy to get right. On original longhouses, whether constructed by Vikings or Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, the construction was much simpler than trestle frame buildings- it was possible to build them such that no more than two logs met at any joint. So I tried this, but after erecting the first post and beam unit, I soon found that without careful measurements the posts would not stand plumb and square. Though not too critical, the combined error of all the posts together seemed to present a problem. I needed a faster solution. I returned to another alternative construction method I learned about from the Ainu four months ago. Instead of posts supporting the beams, I could use tripods. This is how the Ainu built their houses, and as I learned later, it is also the foundation of most tipis, such as those used by the Sioux. If I lash three posts together, I create a tripod. If I set out four tripods and lay beams across them, I create a shed roof. A tripod requires only rough cuts, and can be put almost anywhere. Shelving, and hooks for tools, could easily be mounted on walls that do not bear the full weight of the roof. I could also make a reciprocal frame roof for the shed, or add two more tripods and make the shed a hexagon shape... there are lots of possibilities. Overall, this seems the most expedient solution. Still, the question remains, can three angled posts bear the same weight as a single vertical post? I will find out.

100 words in Japanese

2009-09-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

After reading that five hundred words is the minimum needed for basic communication, I wanted to learn which 500 words are the most important, or frequently used, so that I can focus on learning those first, then move on from there. At the local bookstore, I found a book by Boye De Mente that claimed to contain "100 key words" in Japanese. Here they are:

Words 1-10:
Good Morning おはよう　ございます
Good Afternoon　こんにち　は
Good Evening　こんばん　は
Thank you very much どうも　ありがとう
Pardon me, excuse me, I am sorry, thank you　すみません
Please (after you)　どうぞ
Please ( - give me)　ください
Water みず
I　わたし
I (formal)　わたくし

Words 11-20
to me　わたしに
my, mine　わたしの
we/our, ours　わたしたち
am, is, are　です
am not, is not, are not　で　は　ありません
was, were　でした
was not, were not　で　は　ありません　でした
name　なまえ
what　なん / なに
you/ your, yours　あなた
(two additional words, a typo in the book):
an American person or American people　
a Japanese person or people

Words 21-30
who/ whose　どなた
this　これ
that　それ
he, she, him, her/ his, hers　あの　ひと
message　メッセージ
when　いつ
where　どこ
yes　はい
Yes, that's so, that's right　そう　です
no　いいえ

Words 31-40
to go (plain)　いく
hotel　ホテル
to eat　たべる
food, meal　しょくじ
Japanese food　わしょく
Western food　ようしょく
to drink　のむ
like (be fond of, love)　すき
to receive, accept　いただきます
(it is) delicious　おいしい

Words 41-50
to meet　あう
what time?　なんじ
To be, have (for objects)　ある
how much　いくら
high, expensive　たかい
cheap, inexpensive　やすい
to do　する
good (fine, acceptable)　いい
which (of two)　どちら
which (of many)　どれ

Words 51-60
small, little　ちいさい
large, big　おおきい
number one, most　いちばん
to send, mail　だす
here　ここ
to stop (come to rest). To stay (overnight).　とまる
To wait　まつ
to come　くる
to buy　かう
shopping　かいもの

Words 61-70
money　おかね
to have　もつ
to call (out to someone, call a taxi, etc.)　よぶ
telephone　でんわ
to write　かく
to be able to do, can do　できる
today　きょう
tomorrow　あした
English　えいご
Japanese　にほんご

Words 71-80
how many　いくつ
to need, want　いる
to understand, to know, to be clear　わかる
number/ numbers　ばん / ばんごう
one person　ひとり
two persons　ふたり
three persons　さんにん
four persons　よにん
time, hour　じかん
minute, minutes　ふん / ぷん

Words 81-90
morning (AM)　ごぜん
afternoon (PM)　ごご
taxi　タクシー
subway, metro, underground　ちかてつ
train　でんしゃ
station　えき
near　ちかい
Bullet train　しんかんせん
hot (weather and to the touch)　あつい
cold (weather), to feel cold　さむい

Words 91-100
cold (to the touch)　つめたい
coffee　コーヒー
milk　ミルク
rain　あめ
snow　ゆき
to fall, come down　ふります
sick　びょうき
doctor　いしゃ
to walk　あるく
far, distant　とおい

Special Set Phrases:
Welcome!　いらっしゃいませ。
I'm home!　ただいま。
Welcome back (home)!　おかえり　なさい。
I am intruding. Excuse me.　おじゃま　します。
I have intruded. I have bothered you. Goodbye.　おじゃま　しました。
Excuse me. I'm sorry.　しつれい　します。
Sorry for disturbing (bothering) you.　しつれい　しました。
I receive, accept (the food, drink).　いただきます。 (duplicate of word 39 above)
It was nothing.　おそまつさま。　
Thanks to you. Thank you for asking.　おかげさま　で。
Thanks for all your hard work. Well done.　ごくろうさま　でした。
Please (do something for the speaker). I beg of you.　おねがい　します。 / おねがい　いたします。
Please (do something for the speaker) (very polite).　よろしく　おねがい　します。　

Common Everyday Expressions:
How are you? Are you well?　おげんき　です　か。
I'm fine. And you?　げんき　です。　．．．さん　は。
The weather is fine, isn't it!　おてんき　は　いい　です　ね。
Just a moment, please. (polite)　しょうしょう　おまち　ください。
Just a second! Hang on! (informal)　ちょっと　まって。
Don't mention it. You're welcome.　どう　いたしまして。
Pleased to meet you.　はじめまして。

first joint

2009-08-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

I got serious about building my shed on the 18th of August. I got the logs together, got the chainsaw going, and made some cuts. The weather had other plans for me though, and the rain drove me inside for the rest of the evening. On the 20th I got back outside and made a few more cuts. Finally I have an actual joint to show for it (click the image for a larger view)! Three more of those, and eight other shallow cuts and the basic joinery is all done. You can see most of the tools I've used laying about in the photo. The hard part will be raising the beast when the time comes. A lot of rope and pulleys will be needed.

I started making newer, more accurate diagrams of the joinery than those I posted earlier, but decided it would be easier to just build it and take photos of the actual joints instead. Better than any illustration I could make. But I did create a list of eight steps for how to build a simple trestle building:

Select logs (simplest: 4 posts, 2 beams, 2 rafter-holders; also 8 diagonal braces and 10+ rafters).
Make 5 primary types of cuts for the joinery w/ chainsaw, axe, chisels.
Assemble on ground before fully erecting to adjust and ensure fit.
Select and cut to fit rafters.
Screw diagonal braces to post and beams and erect the two pairs on cinder blocks.
Place rafter-holders on beams and screw diagonal braces between them and posts.
Screw on rafters and roofing.
Dirt or wood floors, and (traditionally) walls are several feet outside of posts, (though may be attached directly to posts).

Jay Shafer

2009-08-10T02:21:00.000-07:00

Jay Shafer is a very humble sounding person, but contrasting with this gentle demeanor is a marketing genius. He is at the center of the small home movement and has produced several small home plans as well as authored books, taught workshops, and gets the word out through appearances in big name media outlets. The model home he lives in is called the Epu and it really is amazing how much functionality and efficiency he is able to squeeze into such a small space. Get a tour of his house on youtube. His love of living tiny is echoed by others. This is all very inspirational to me, proving that most anything is possible.

second thoughts

2009-07-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

In a burst of creative thought over the last few days I scoured the pages of my architectural books and magazines (in several languages) as well as the Internet looking for anything that would help me put together a second generation house for my family, as that possibility has been simmering in the back of my mind since returning from our last vacation recently. It started with a trestle-frame addition to stick-frame building, progressed to a long building with a floorplan reminiscent of a mobile home or ATCO structure, and later incorporated a "ryokan" and numerous storage and space saving ideas. At this point it seemed over engineered and I rejected it all, asking myself "Did I lose sight of what's important?" (Double meaning fully implied, as I had been neglecting other responsibilities in pursuit of an ideal house design.) I took the contrary position, feeling that a trestle-frame, like a geodesic dome, should not be a house, as its form is not plastic enough and too rigid. I looked at the other-beauty of rammed earth. Then I reviewed photographs of real trestle-frame buildings, and loved this one of a barn. In America, there was a vogue about a decade ago of restoring old American timber frame barns and converting the interiors into houses. The cathedral ceilings and exposed ancient timbers created a warm (insert adjective evoking fondness of aged things) ambiance that afficionados of the type loved. They didn't substantially change anything about the barn's dimensions. I can learn a lesson from this comparison, as I won't change the dimensions or proportions of this Norwegian barn. I will simply fit the modern American lifestyle within its timbers.

Update: I'd like to build alcove beds, as used in roykstova (traditional Faroese houses), into the sides of a trestle frame shed of about these dimensions.

Birthday: an existential occasion

2009-07-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

As I recently passed the anniversary of my birth, I reflected on the current “state of my body”. I also thought about Stephen Covey and existentialism, because of that chapter title of his, “begin with the end in mind”. I want to take better care of my body, beginning with eating and sleeping. Eating staples like grains, legumes, tubers, and healthy food combinations. (Recently I had a great meal, baked salmon marinated in soy sauce and rice wine, with an unusual coleslaw side composed of kohlrabi, radishes, carrots, napa cabbage, and cilantro, in a primarily vinegar dressing. I ate more of the slaw than the salmon! Delicioso!) In a period of two months I want to update my professional counseling certification, construct a log trestle frame building, and progress in my correspondence class. In a year I want to have some conversational Japanese skills, a four year degree from the university, and apply to teach English in Japan. Eventually I might like to build a house in Homer (or Hokkaido?), that incorporates Norwegian log trestle frame construction in at least one wing of the house, and live near the ocean teaching one language or the other in either country. Commuting to work and back by electric bike would be a bonus. And if I learn a second language, perhaps learning to play a musical instrument like the guitar wouldn't be too far a stretch. My life right now is great, but how much more could it still be? Right now, this is a partial vision of one end I have in mind, and the elusive elements of which it is composed that have yet to fall into position.

Brave New World

2009-07-05T00:43:00.001-07:00

Probably the best way to get inside the head of another person is to expose yourself to the products of their self expression - stuff like literature, art, and music. This is very effective. Transhumanists might make the following prediction however, that what the Internet has been to personal computing, a computer brain interface allowing technologically enabled telepathy (group mind) would be to the human mind and individual perspective. Very interesting implications can be drawn from such a possibility, but I will stick with literature, art, and music for the time being when I want to see the world through another person's eyes.

lawnmowers and dragonflies

2009-06-29T00:23:00.000-07:00

This morning I was reading about a truck that uses gasification technology, and it lead me to thinking about lawnmowers. I need to sharpen my non-motorized push lawnmower or buy one with an engine. I remember reading about Harry Schoell, the inventor of the heat regenerative cyclone engine and their prototype lawnmowers developed as a possible application for the technology (supposedly ready by 2010). That would be fun to have! But then again, if had a lawnmower that used gasification technology, perhaps the grass clippings could be used as the fuel, which would make the lawnmower nearly autonomous, much like a solar powered artificially intelligent lawnmower. If AI beings ever take over the world, my money says it starts with lawnmowers (or a swarm of Roomba vacuum cleaners).

This afternoon I was outside standing and talking with my clients when a dragonfly flew up to me and landed on my left temple. I thought that was just too cool, never happened to me before. I continued giving my speech and let the insect rest on my head. I could just barely see it with my peripheral vision, and feel its light weight on my skin. Think of it as a counter-example to H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic indifferentism if you want.

I haven't the time to read it now, but if you do, tell me what you think of this article about the research of George Vaillant titled "What makes us happy?"

common sense

2009-06-24T15:54:00.001-07:00

I found this picture in my chainsaw manual under the heading "Always use common sense".

Optibike

2009-06-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Paraphrased from the website: "The 2000 mpg human-electric hybrid vehicle augments the rider's pedal power with an electric motor and battery traveling 50 miles on $.08 worth of electricity at 30+ mph." Okay, now that I got all the hype out of the way, this is really a very cool bike. It's not a moped, so no loud smelly engine stuff. It's not a recumbent, but it is so cool that I forgive that one design flaw (could be fixed). Electric assist bikes just don't get the attention they deserve. I want. See also the Optibike Owner's group. (This or even this is much more within the realm of the possible for me however.)

Modern direct-drive recumbent bikes

2009-06-06T03:22:00.000-07:00

When a friend of mine told me he was thinking about buying a new recumbent bike, I began surveying the choices available on the market to help him find the right one to meet his needs. Human powered transportation is a subject close to my heart. In the process of reviewing the incredible variation of bikes, I came upon the "direct drive" recumbent bike design that appeals to me (my motivation to help was not purely altruistic). A direct drive bike has the crank axle mounted on the front fork, inside the hub of the driven front wheel; no chain is needed. This front hub also houses a transmission system to allow a wide range of gears for slow or fast speeds.

The direct drive approach, though not commonly seen on bikes today, actually preceded the use of the chain drive, but was overshadowed by it as bicycle designs evolved due to the primitive stage of technical developent of hub gears at the time. The design of the transmission is probably the most complicated part of the whole bike, but today it is no longer a limitation. Planetary gear hub, Schlumpf Speed-Drive, Rohloff 14-speed hub, Sachs "Elan" 12-speed hub, and Biria continuously variable transmission hub: these are some reliable hubs that may be adapted to use in a direct-drive bike, with modification. The overall appearance of a direct drive bike is very clean and simple, and the compact drive system dramatically improves cargo carrying capacity. Though not yet available, were such a bike to enter the market, and if it were designed as carefully as Garnet recommended in his paper, I am sure it would be well received, especially by myself!

One disadvantage of this design is the width of the tread, more commonly known as the q-factor. This is the distance between the pedals that the rider's feet must straddle. Since the geared hub must be within this space, the q-factor cannot practially be reduced beyond the limits imposed by current technological ability to create a small geared hub.

References:
Kretschmer, Thomas (2000). "Direct-drive (chainless) recumbent bicycles.", Human Power, no. 49:11-14.
Garnet, Jeremy (2008). "Ergonomics of direct-drive recumbent bicycles.", Human Power eJournal, article 17, issue 05.
Photo of Kretschmer's bike
Another bike built by Stefan Daniel

DIY lawn irrigation

2009-05-31T04:15:00.000-07:00

Tired of lugging around 50 foot sections of garden hose every day to water the lawn, I set out to automate the system. I was told that water sprinklers were preferable to drip irrigation or soaker hoses. I went to Home Depot, Lowe's, Fred Meyer and Walmart to compare products and prices. When I put it all together later that same night, I ended up with an impressive system that makes watering the lawn a snap. And I found out that plumbing my lawn's irrigation is as much fun as aquarium plumbing; it is really satisfying when it all comes together well. My system basically consists of two separate runs of impact sprinklers. The lower run has three impact sprinklers and the upper run also has three impact sprinklers with a soaker hose added at the end. Each sprinkler is separated by 50 feet of garden hose.

The picture here shows what this looks like. The large rectangles are two voluminous water tanks that lead to pumps. One of the pumps has an expansion tank, while the other does not. These lead to a system of valves that may be opened or closed (indicated by "equal" signs) and water emitting devices (small circles). The water tank without an expansion tank is connected to the roof gutter via piping.

One of the more unique parts of the system is how the pump is operated. The pump sits above the underground rainwater storage tank, but in order to draw water up (since it is not submerged in the tank) it must first be primed with the addition of water to the pipe leading to it so that it can maintain a suction. I attached a garden hose to an outdoor water spigot on my house and put the other end on the garden tank pump. (You can see in the diagram that a system of valves links the two pumps together.) Water is forced into the garden tank pump when the nozzle is turned on. Once the garden tank pump and piping is filled, it is turned on and the outdoor water spigot is turned off. At this point the garden tank pump is fully operational. Due to the length of the irrigation lines only one run of sprinklers is operated at a time to maintain sufficient pressure in the system. It all works very smoothly and only the opening and closing of valves in the system is needed to start and stop the whole system from beginning to end. I can buy an automatic timer to run the system when I am on vacation, some of the fancier models of these use a moisture sensor to prevent over watering.

perspectives on work

2009-05-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

Compassion is the wish for someone to be free from suffering, or at the very least that their suffering will diminish. It's a big deal to Mahayana Buddhists. I don't claim to be Buddhist, but I do need to have compassion for my work, to hope that it will be conducted with high standards for quality and be praised for its merits. My work is the foundation for all wholesome things in my life. But that is not enough reason, the best reason is becuase unlike anything else, only I can rescue my work and elevate it to its rightful position. It suffers the most of all, and it desperately needs my attention and compassion more than anything else. Were I to neglect it, it will surely die. Of what else could this be said? I think I should attend first to those things that suffer most for lack of my attention, and only later on those that can survive just as well without me.

In other news...

2009-04-14T00:37:00.000-07:00

The monthly review of magazines at the local bookstore yeilded a few good articles. First off were a few about Roald Gunderson, who builds houses using trees in their natural state. They are not cut into dimensional lumber. The results are unorthodox to say the least, and once you are past the shock it is really very charming. But what impressed me the most were the structural advantages of this approach, as well as the low cost and sustainability of this construction method.

But if you ask enough people, you will soon discover that very few things are genuinely new. Roald Gundersen's approach, while already tried by a few creative hippies, was presaged hundreds of years ago in the form of Japanese Minka houses, which utilize long unmilled tree trunks as structural beams and rafters. The "taiko beam" is especially graceful. They are truly beautiful buildings.

Also not new is Robert Lanza's idea of scientific biocentrism. This idea already existed within Chinese philosophy hundreds of years ago. One well known example is Wang Yang-Ming. Lanza does reinterpret this idea for a new generation and places it within the context of modern science, giving it new life. So I am glad for that.

I also came across an article in Natural History Magazine about the role of alloparenting in human evolution.

Trestle-frame buildings

2009-04-11T02:43:00.000-07:00

In 1998 The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (Norsk institutt for kulturminneforskning) published the proceedings of a seminar, subsequently titled "Grindbygde hus i Vest-Norge" which translates as "Trestle-frame buildings in Western Norway". When I saw this document a few days ago I became very excited, it was the largest body of information I've found yet about this form of construction that I learned about a year ago and maintained an interest in since. Finally I have an accurate English translation for grindbygg, which means "trestle-frame building". You might be familiar with trestle bridges that use a number of slightly splayed vertical braced frames to support a bridge. Indeed, this closely resembles the basic framework of a grindbygg. Much of the document is in Norwegian, but summaries are provided in English as well as several English articles. The real pleasure are the many illustrations. One summary provides the best written description of trestle framed buildings, which I will paraphrase here:

In traditional trestle-framed buildings two posts and a transverse beam are put together to form a transverse trestle, with longitudinal beams connecting each trestle to its immediate neighbors. The transverse beam is placed directly on top of the post, resting in a notch cut in the post’s crown. The longitudinal beams, which carry the rafters, are placed just inside the tops of the posts. The trestle frame is stabilized by means of diagonal wooden braces between the posts and the beams.

Pure poetry! But if that wasn't clear see one of the pictures accompanying previous entries on this subject.

grindbyggs again

2009-03-29T02:41:00.001-07:00

A few days ago I saw the latest issue of Natural Home Magazine, which mentioned Jay Shafer, who owns a tiny home. A little more research convinced me that I want to build a bunch of small buildings. While a shipping container might be the right size and good in many other respects, it also has toxic components and is not decomposable; once set in place it is very difficult to alter or move. I want something that is organic, that can grow into position, blend into its surroundings, and peacefully decay just as quickly. Solve et coagula. I also want something that reflects my labor of love, that is a work of art first and a functional shelter second. I even would give it a title like all great artwork deserves. I would call it "shelter" or more abstractly "how to survive a drought". All my artwork is created at little or no expense, partly because I am naturally frugal, and partly because I do not want to spend a lot of money on something that I don't really need and may not care for anyway. What form of shelter can I make that is small, decomposable, artful and cheap? I reconsidered the relatively labor intensive grindbygg, which had lately fallen into disfavor due to the greater flexibility of frame construction methods.

One of the challenges I face regardless of what I build is that at any location on my lot the ground is sloping to a greater or lesser degree and in no where is it flat. This increases complexity of the foundation. One of the advantages of the grindbygg is that it relies on a series of vertical posts to support the compressive weight of the roof, each of which can be cut to any length to adjust to the changing elevation of the plot it sits on, a different kind of foundation from the typical frame building. These posts are completely enclosed within the structure, protecting them from the effects of the weather. Posts and beams are very heavy, however if I make the shortest of the posts only three feet tall, then the grindbygg so constructed will still retain many of its advantages while being easier to erect. Such a building could serve as a modest shed, the first so built being a test of my ideas. I will need to buy a chainsaw to build with or I would soon lose hope of completing the project. A grindbygg can be small, decomposable, artful and cheap. The challenge is to complete this potentially time consuming project within one summer. I may need to use Wally Wallington's methods to erect the frames.

I like a grindbygg for all the functions that its form allows. Here is very useful see through picture I found recently.

mental exercise

2009-03-22T04:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a question that might be a good way to "get to the point" when discussing religion. Supposing it's possible that one day you and God disagree on something, what do you do? Do you do what God thinks is right, or do you do what you think is right?

Christians sometimes seem more afraid of not being called Christian than they are of not doing the right thing. Jesus cared more about the spirit of the law than the letter of the law, even though he also said that not even a tilda would be erased from the law of God (interpret this however you want). Nonetheless, if it is the spirit of the law that matters most, then it does not matter whether we are Christians or atheists, it only matters if we live with love and careful regard towards all those whom our actions affect. So I'd ask you: how do you answer?

long term goals

2009-03-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a simple diagram of my long term goals. I haven't given anything beyond four years that much thought yet. I wonder if these are really just short term goals in that case. But then again, near sighted as I am, seeing any further goals may be contingent upon reaching these earlier ones first.

Seeing this life out

2009-03-13T01:43:00.000-07:00

No wonder people find it difficult to set and work towards long term goals, the ability to think on long time scales seems to be a rare skill these days. I have had an interest in time and how the mind perceives it for several years now - is it possible to think on scales of months, years, and decades as if they were as real as the next hour, day, or week? Taken to an extreme, this creates a sense of timelessness, the same feeling that a religious person might experience when contemplating immortality. How far into the future can one rationally plan before lofty aspirations become pure fantasy and the last threads anchoring them to reality are severed?

Long term goals are important for a reason that did not become obvious to me until the last few days. Whatever other thoughts they may have had (or lacked), the recent shootings in Germany and Alabama were carried out by people who had no personal long term goals here on Earth.

One long term goal example from Don't Delay: global sustainability

Feedback

2009-02-24T03:16:00.000-08:00

In 1943 Arturo Rosenblueth set the basis of cybernetics, proposing that behavior controlled by negative feedback, whether in animal, human or machine, was a determinative, directive principle in nature. Cybernetics focuses on how anything (digital, mechanical or biological) processes information, reacts to information, and changes to better accomplish the first two tasks. It is "the art of ensuring the efficacy of action" according to Louis Couffignal. A premise one might find implied here is that the stimulus behind behavior is the achievment of a goal.

Sound familiar? This has a lot to do with procrastination. In the field of psychology, the importance of monitoring and regulating one's attention to a task prompted George Miller to coin the acronym T.O.T.E.: test-operate-test-exit. In the same breath we could also talk about optimal foraging theory and control theory (a close sister to cybernetics). Each employs a specific example of the classic feedback model. In general terms, feedback is the process in which part of the output of a system is returned to its input in order to regulate its further output. Dare I say it, this is the most important principle for self-regulation in the battle against procrastination. Of course, it cannot address all the fundamental reasons for irrational delay, but it is a very big piece. (Sources: Don't Delay and as usual Wikipedia.)

Postscript 01 March 2009:
In 1973 William Powers built upon ideas like those of Rosenblueth's. He proposed the Perceptual Control Theory model of behavioral organization, which states that living organisms are closed-loop systems that act to keep perceptual variables in pre-specified states, protected from disturbances caused by variations in environmental circumstances. Which makes sense when considering a quote from Claude Bernard (1813-1878): "The constancy of the internal environment is the condition for a free and independent life."

predation

2009-02-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

The predator's mind is always fixed on its prey. It's senses are tuned to seek it out. It's body is ready to attack it. "I will not be robbed of the joy of victory. Success will be mine."
Nature, red in tooth and claw -Tennyson

What reaction does this photo elicit from the human observer? It is easier to identify with the seal, but if you were in the mind of the shark what would you be thinking or feeling? Aggression, hatred, fear, joy? None of the above? Source

predatory animal

2009-02-17T02:55:00.000-08:00

If efficient goal pursuit is similar to hunting, and predatory animals symbolize hunting, which predator might represent this best?

Able to actively hunt or ambush with lightning fast limbs and sharp vision, while remaining camouflaged in appearance and motion, the praying mantis wins my vote for most successful predator. As PZ noted, evolution does not create perfect predators, but only "good enough". Even so, though mantids primarily catch and eat other invertebrates, they are notorious for a taxonomically diverse diet that may include amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, given the opportunity. Considering we are talking about a lowly insect, whose closest relatives are cockroaches, this is no small feat.

predatory behavior and the goal of an easy meal

2009-02-10T04:00:00.001-08:00

I have visited the subjects of apex predators (in 2005), camouflage, and competition in the past. Here I've edited a selection of material from Wikipedia on the subject of hunting, which I believe can be very instructive when considering efficient goal pursuit:

The act of predation can be broken down into a maximum of four stages: Detection of prey, attack, capture and finally consumption. Optimal foraging theory states that all organisms, including predators, will act in such a way as to maximize their energy intake per unit time. In other words, they behave in such a way as to find, capture and consume food containing the most calories while expending the least amount of time and energy possible in doing so.

Predators may hunt actively for prey, or sit and wait for prey to approach within striking distance. Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture prey by stealth or cunning, not by speed or necessarily by strength. These organisms usually hide motionless and wait for prey to come within striking distance. They are often camouflaged, and may be solitary. Camouflage, a form of crypsis, involves concealment and obscurity; it is not limited to the commonly encountered visual camouflage of color, shape, and pattern, but encompasses other senses as well to deceive the observer into making a false judgment about the camouflaged object. Predators may also use mimicry to lure, traps or tools to catch, and complex weaponry to subdue and kill their prey.

In much of the world, humans are the largest, best-organized, most cunning, and most powerful predators. Nonetheless, broadly speaking, optimal foraging theory should still be capable of describing their behavior as well.

stalking the goal, a hunter's guide

2009-02-09T03:38:00.000-08:00

Is the goal like a wary animal, conscious of its stalker, that takes flight when it suspects the approach of a hunter? If I do not pursue the target, what then should I aim for? We should not aim, we should disguise our earnest pursuit in the folly of play, a clever camouflage. Play, turned to deadly accuracy only at the last moment, when success has been assured.

Goal pursuit bears more than a passing resemblance to hunting: a target, the execution of a careful plan, exertion, elation upon success.

rant and rave

2009-02-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

What are we working for? To make life easier, not harder. To make life better, healthier, more fun and safe. To free up as much leisure time as possible for serendipitous discovery or to spend however we want. And when our collective efficiency improves, we can better fund science research and other self-actualization/growth needs. There is no reason for people to work two or three jobs and have few to no vacations (unless that's what they like). That is all backwards! I'm not an economist, but something seems wrong here.

I'll admit it... I like the flute hook in ABBA's song "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A man after midnight)". If I had to pick a ring tone for a cell phone, that would be it. Or it would be a Wong Kar-Wai film song like Baroque (from Chungking Express), Perfidia, or Siboney (both from 2046).

As of the 29th of last month, I am once again a fish owner. I forgot just how amazingly relaxing keeping fish is.

07 Feb 2009 postscript to entry:

While utilitarians, and more broadly, consequentialists might agree, Nietzsche would not, as he expressed an opinion that we owe many of our advances to the effects of suffering, which has urged humankind to become better than we otherwise might be (Beyond Good and Evil p225). This is a train of thought within normative ethics that I have returned to many times, and by now it is becoming quite old. Each time I try to approach it differently and elucidate something new that hadn't been considered before. Viktor Frankl stated a common observation once, that when we stop striving for something at that moment it is most easily obtained.

"...as long as you are pursuing happiness, as the phrase reads, as long as you are aiming at happiness you cannot obtain it. The more you make it a target, the more you miss the aim, and you miss the target." (Interview, South Africa, 1985).

What are we working for? We will understand why we work when we stop working.

08 Feb 2009 post-postscript:

Returning to Nietzsche's apparent objection to the goal of making life easier, it is important to reflect that suffering would not lead to achievement were we not urged by the desire to relieve it and make life easier. Suffering is a relative condition, everything has its own threshold. Within existentialism, even the mere fact of existence and personal freedom leads to angst, a form of suffering. So Nietzsche need not be concerned that life would be free from suffering or too easy some day. That day will probably never come. His point, of course, is that we should not forget its important contribution toward shaping who we are. To make life easier one must not be apathetic about the world nor feel one's own actions are inconsequential.

Blog review: Don't Delay

2009-01-25T00:51:00.001-08:00

I read all of the posts on Don’t Delay; they were very good. I’d like to distill here some of the highlights that made an impression on me. First let’s review the costs of procrastination:

“It has been associated with depression, guilt, low exam grades, anxiety, neuroticism, irrational thinking, cheating and low self-esteem. …It can be an extremely disabling psychological condition.”

And some of the speculated reasons for procrastination:

Lack of conscientiousness, defined as self-discipline, orderliness and organization, is a key personality trait that is highly correlated with procrastination.
Lack of self-discipline is the strongest facet-level predictor of procrastination.

Who is not likely to procrastinate?

Individuals who tend to use an early action pacing style in task execution [as opposed to a deadline action pacing style] are most likely to meet deadlines. At least in western cultures, there is a common planning bias that leads to overly optimistic predictions. Generally, people underestimate how much time tasks will take and overestimate how much they will get done.

A few parts confirmed my suspicions:

External control has negative consequences in the long run, possibly including alienation from personal preferences.
Different types of procrastinators respond differently to certain levels of evaluation threat.
Those who consider themselves procrastinators may actually be quite efficient at getting [tasks] done once they start.

Emphasis was placed on procrastination as an existential issue, and Pychyl explains the reasons behind this very well. I had never thought of it this way before, but it makes a lot of sense. In support of this he has referred to three well known books:

Paul Tillich, The Courage to Be
Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning (1945)
Steven Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

From the existential point of view “procrastination is about choice”, and consequently we need to “bring conscious attention to our choice to needlessly delay a task and examine this honestly in relation to our values, needs, and goals. Empirical research has repeatedly shown that striving toward self-concordant goals strengthens the link between goal progress and well-being... Our actions, goals, and personal projects need to align with our sense of identity and purpose in life or we're more likely to disengage... We need to link the personal meaning of our goals to the tasks at hand.” Paul Tillich argues that courage is needed to live an authentic life, as opposed to living in “bad faith” (an existentialist phrase, which also describes something procrastinators do all the time). Engaging in life courageously requires we do three things:

Affect change in our lives by taking control and not waiting on fate.
Be committed to whom we are as individuals and the uniqueness this represents.
Accept the changes and stresses of life as a challenge to address as opposed to a threat to avoid.

These steps are echoed in several other formulations. Pychyl himself has said:

Just get started (behavior or action).
Don’t give in to feel good (emotions).
Be honest with yourself (cognitions).

Similar general advice to defeat procrastination:

Set short-term goals.
Learn and use strategies to make the task at hand more interesting.
Look past the initial negative feelings you might have about a task.

Frankl used two simple ideas to combat any tendancy he had to procrastinate:

"Do everything as soon as possible"
"Do the unpleasant tasks first."

Addressing the existential nature of procrastination is important, though it is equally important to remember that “emotion regulation can often undermine self-control efforts.”

"Don't give in to feel good! It's easy to focus on our feelings and work to feel better now at the expense of the long-term goal. Don't. Expect to feel lousy when you begin.. If you can move past this initial discomfort and get started, your attitude will follow your behavior."

"Acting on our intentions, even on our self-concordant goals can be problematic at times because we can fall prey to some all too human shortcomings such as the way we think (e.g., temporal discounting, intransitive preference structures or irrational beliefs like worry), or our tendency to want to do "mood repair" first to feel good... Work with what you have. Move in the direction of the desired behavior. Don't give up. Keep a positive attitude [but it isn't a necessity]."

In the end:

"Progress on our goals makes us feel happier and more satisfied with life. Interestingly, positive emotions have the potential to motivate goal-directed behaviors and volitional processes (e.g., self-regulation to stay on task) that are necessary for further goal progress or attainment. Very clearly you can see how if you "prime the pump" by making some progress on your goals, the resulting increase in your subjective well-being enhances further action and progress… we experience the strongest positive emotional response when we make progress on our most difficult goals."

"We often need to transcend the current situation to see our current task within the context of our overarching goals and values. Doing this allows us to find the meaning in what may seem a meaningless task. Linking the task to our values and finding meaning in the task also reduces its aversiveness... Hope springs eternal for those who transcend the immediate situation, particularly their feelings, and find meaning in their goals... Helping people become more hopeful might reduce their procrastination. Be kind with yourself, yet also be relentlessly mindful, firmly bringing your attention back to your goal and your focus to the schedulable act at hand."

A quote favored by Pychyl that seems particularly suited to the subject:

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference." Robert Frost (1874-1963)

My reflections:

The identification of procrastination with existentialism is very important. And so, to me, the most important entry Pychyl wrote was when he identified procrastination as a existential problem, describing existentialism in this way:

"I'll stick with Sartre and his terse, I think rather clear, way of defining the existential problem, "man's existence precedes his essence." We're in the world and exist before we know our purpose, before we understand that essence that provides meaning, that defines us. Our essence is what we make of ourselves. It's our choice, and this is the crux of it. Existentialism is a philosophy of choice."

For many years I have often thought to myself "I don't know why I am doing anything." At these times when I need a motivating reason, I find one that will suit the purpose though it is dropped quickly. Perhaps this was because it was too superficial. My latest effort took a different approach. Usually I have looked for recurring themes in what I have taken an interest to over the years in my life, as well as what is important in my relationships with other people. This time I created an all encompassing task list of several hundred items and from this identified four things to focus on. The task list is periodically updated as new things are added when they arise and other things are removed as they are completed. The abridged list of four items remains relatively constant and serves as a reminder of the purpose and meaning I have chosen for my life. This has lent greater stability to my life and brought much more focus to my efforts, though I have yet to fully realize its benefits.

Procrastination is very much an existential issue for me. People used to ask me why I procrastinate. At first I said I don't know why. Later I said I don't know why I should do anything. Now I can say it is an existential problem. But hopefully I won't be asked that question as often. Incidentally, the four items are: provide quality youth education, family activities, learn Japanese, and make a few useful things out of wood. They define my life and aspirations fairly well.

An appeal to behavioral change over technological advance.

2009-01-17T03:02:00.000-08:00

Dynamic carpooling- I've brought this up before, whether here or elsewhere. Now I see a description of it on Wikipedia. This is the social side of a combined social/technical solution to optimizing transportation efficiency. If you have a long commute it would really pay off. Just the other day I heard Daniel Sperling bring it up during his interview on NPR.

I think there is a misconception about the right path to a more efficient or globally responsible way of life. People tend to conceive this as a problem that requires a single solution. Of course, it requires many different solutions and approaches to the problem. I think the reason for this is that few people are willing to change their behaviors and accustomed way of living, and accordingly, if they wish to reduce human caused pollution, they hope to achieve this almost exclusively through technological innovations that make their consumerables less polluting. When it comes to vehicles, these are the people who see solar-electric and fuel cell technology as the answer to a healthier planet. I think this is very narrow thinking. Before I am accused of being a Luddite, let me state for the record that I would be the last person to say we do not need to develop better technological solutions and find ways to affordably mass produce them to get them into the hands of consumers. However, if we remove resistance to social change and our engrained behavior patterns, we do not need any technical advances to acheive the goal of sustainability. I know, it is easy to say, but it is also easy to forget. Sustainability is more a behavioral problem than a technological one. Answers that address our way of living can provide solutions right now. Technology will provide us with new possibilities, but let's not sacrifice our past in the race for the future. Let's do what we are already able to do right now.

A few more misconceptions I see:

Few people seem to know what waste really is. Waste is not waste if it can be used as a resource or fuel at the next step down the chain. Just because it isn't used right now doesn't mean it won't be put to use later or by someone or something else. Waste is better defined by it's social and environmental costs, which need to be understood first. Before we can understand efficiency or recycling we need to know more about waste.

More is not always better. This assumption often goes unnoticed. There is a futurist periodical called "Infinite Energy"- maybe I should coin the term energy lust to describe this, because I have no idea what someone would do with infinite energy were they to actually get it.

consciousness and time

2009-01-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

Slime mold has just been added to the list of animals for whom scientific speculation exists about their status as conscious (or at least intelligent) beings. I am always fascinated as this list grows and which lifeforms get added to it- in fact I should make a referenced list someday. A much more exclusive list is that of self aware creatures, to which the magpie has been added, the second non-mammalian addition after pigeons.

As I was waiting for a friend to visit, I began to think about how my perception of the passage of time changes depending on what I am doing. After considering several different situations from faster to slower perceptions of the passage time, it seemed to lead to the conclusion that time doesn't exist for dead people, and consciousness, therefore, must include a sense of the passage of time. If this is true, then in answer to the question: "Where do you go/ what happens when you die?" would be "You don't go anywhere and nothing happens; everything stops". But stopping stops too; it is utterly impossible to imagine, let alone describe, nothing. As we can only imagine something, the only state that has any reality to us is conscious awareness, and that is all that would appear to ever have any meaningful existence to us. Though we die, if ever we are, we are alive.

procrastination

2009-01-07T01:51:00.000-08:00

I came across a link to Timothy Pychyl's blog Don't Delay, which is devoted to the subject of procrastination, while reading Procrastinating Again? How to Kick the Habit, an article that appeared in Scientific American Mind recently. Sometimes it seems to me that I need to work as hard or harder in my personal life as I do in my professional life, if I am to succeed at all. It is easy to believe that working hard eight hours a day in my personal life will improve my professional life as well. The only things that could slow one down is severe fatigue or illness. The blog sounds interesting. Without reading it yet I'll bet perception is the key to fending off this common foe.

New Year's resolution - asceticism required?

2009-01-02T00:21:00.000-08:00

I believe that I am most emotionally honest in dreams, even with myself, as it is easy to fool oneself too. Last night (or rather the early morning of the first of January) I had a dream in which I saw through images the tension between fear and greed. Step aside Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Hsun Tzu, and make way for the powerful psycho-analytical cynicism I am about to unleash on the world! Accordingly, my New Year's resolution for 2009 is to resolve the tension between fear and greed in my life, though it will not be easy. In my dream I saw how I inured myself to fear in order to satisfy my greed. There was a dark terror approaching, and I saw it on the faces of loved ones, though I willfully ignored it in order to get some much desired things that had sentimental or amusement value. I wanted to leave, but I wanted to stay as well. I could not bring myself to choose which to sacrifice. Of course, the decision should be easy, and yet there was a palpable tension. As I reflected on this, I think that if I heed the rational fear to prepare for the terrors that can anticipated, then I will have much less stress in my life. It is a perennial problem, but the dream brought it to rarefied form, and on what an auspicious day! In Japan, the first dream of the new year has a particularly important meaning.

I've already started the ball rolling to become a self described "wabi sabi woodwright". I'll post photos of my first completed project soon!

woodworking

2008-12-22T03:59:00.000-08:00

I saw a video today of Randy Pausch's last lecture. He talked about achieving his childhood goals and the importance of inspiring the next generation to dream of doing great things in the future as well. One of the things I would like to do is take my time and learn how use wood in the building of useful things, nice things like furniture, like Roy Underhill or Norm Abram makes. I enrolled in a woodworking class in junior high school (a sort of right of passage in America) and didn't really take it seriously. There is a lot to learn, but I only want to learn as much as I need to do what I want. The first thing I'd like to build is a nice aquarium stand for a few aquariums. I looked up do-it-yourself articles on how to make one, and they range from the extremely simple stack of cinder blocks approach through to the use of some joinery methods. I might use commercially available stand construction as a guide. The cost of building versus buying pre-made might be interesting to find out. I could take my time and make something nice. The key it seems is to use good materials, like straight wood, and measure accurately for each cut. Now that I think about it, there are actually at least 12 things I would like to make... this could take a while. To the drawing board!

a convenient fiction

2008-12-21T03:55:00.001-08:00

On my way to work today I was listening to "O Holy Night" on a local radio station that plays Christmas music nonstop this time of year. It is a beautiful song that was composed in 1847. The religious subject gave me pause for thought and reason for hope. Religion can only be enjoyed by suspending rational thought. I cannot pretend it is still alive and well in the world today. No, it is sick and diseased. It cannot withstand the assault of criticism, a fact that atheists take much sadistic delight in pointing out. Reformationists like John Shelby Spong and Gretta Vosper are engaged in a futile struggle to salvage anything after allowing criticism to do its work. Christianity will not survive, it is an anachronistic world view, a misrepresentation of reality, and faith in it can be a very dangerous thing to have. We should never mistake illusion for reality, or place our faith in something that has no rightful claim to it.

But we live in a world of illusion, not just in religion but everywhere. And though we try to escape it by pursing physicalism, the philosophical perspective of science, I think honesty demands we admit that illusion pervades everything. It may be true that all we can be assured of in life is naked experience, but I think illusion is not something to be ostracized from our minds. It should be acknowledged and enjoyed for what it is. Illusion is, after all, the mother of reason. This Christmas season, I plan to acknowledge illusion and enjoy it. If believing religion is reality has led humanity down the wrong path many times before, perhaps believing it is illusion will take the teeth out of it and prevent us from doing so again. We don't need to get rid of it or substantially change its content, but just change the way we look at it. Then we can still enjoy it in much the same way we did before. Fact or fiction has little to do with pleasure.

concentric spheres of social groups from local to global

2008-12-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about how my life is fairly well laid out before me and I like what I see. It seems to be just maintaining and improving what I already have at this point, to a large extent. I was reviewing a workbook on citizenship completed by one of my students and began to reflect on the inclusion of this value in most ethical systems. Off the top of my head the definition of citizenship that comes quickly to my mind is a quote from Spock in The Wrath of Khan: the needs of the many usually outweigh the needs of the few. You're right, usually wasn't part of the original quote, but I don't think it is an absolutely true statement anyway. So what does it mean to be a citizen? A lot of social service organizations are built around this ideal, and I think Thomas Paine along with many other early writers had a lot to say about this subject. Incidentally, recently a civics class has become a requirement in the UK educational system. Is citizenship the same as patriotism or nationalism? No. Further explorations may be forthcoming...

gift me, and gift me again

2008-12-09T02:13:00.000-08:00

May I advocate intelligent gift giving this holiday season? An online gift registry that allows the listing of items from multiple retailers is ideal. It could even allow several people to contribute money towards the purchase of more expensive gifts that are often passed over by gift buyers with a fixed price range and no means of contacting others with whom they could collaborate.

Here are the features of one application, Family Gift Exchange, available on the Internet:

View and manage your:
Wishlist - The items you want
Non-wishlist - The items you don't want
Recommendation list - The items other people think you want

Have your own individual login
Indicate relevent website or purchase location for gifts.
Make recommendations for other users.
Choose whether recommendations are visible to the person you are recommending a gift for.
Approve or unapprove the (visible) recommendations made for you.
Indicate to other users that you have purchased an item on someone's list (without the recipient being able to see that you have purchased it).
Customize site colors, logo, and family name for your own family or group.
Easy to use. Even has a HELP page.

No longer just for weddings and baby showers, gift registries are for any gift giving occasion, including Christmas and birthdays! Why not? Wikipedia has pages with descriptions and examples of gift registries and online gift lists.

fairy flies

2008-12-09T02:10:00.000-08:00

Fairy flies (Mymaridae) caught my attention when I saw a micrograph of one and was immediately struck by the unusual appearance of the wings. They looked more like small feathers. Due to the extremely small size of these insects they have a different approach to flight and would appear to be at the mercy of the slightest breeze, like any aeolian plankton. Not surprisingly, they can be found just about anywhere on Earth. Next summer I think I will take more notice of the chalcid wasps around my home, the broader taxonomic group to which fairy flies belong.

infinite food chains

2008-12-08T02:43:00.000-08:00

What you eat is only as good as what it ate, which was only as good as what it ate, which was only as good as what it ate, which was only as good as what it ate, which was only as good as what it ate...

Yet another (potentially) infinitely regressing cycle! You can thank Ned Rozell for bringing this poetic theme to mind in the latest installment of his always interesting column, Alaska Science Forum.

Cordwood Sauna

2008-11-30T20:37:00.000-08:00

There is a book by Rob Roy called The Sauna that gave me a great idea. He is probably the most well known popularizer of cordwood masonry construction, and in the book he describes how he built a round cordwood masonry sauna (about 12 foot diameter) with a relatively flat sod roof. I had recently admired adobe buildings with flat roofs supported by "vegas", or log beams, so this was nearly identical in appearance. I already have a lot of poplar logs that I can use for this, and poplar is actually a good wood type to use. I was thinking that instead of mortar I could try to use cob. The loess soil here is very hydrophobic when it dries, so I wonder if it wouldn't be suited to the purpose. I already plan to build a shed first, as a sort of proof of concept before actually building a sauna. All in good time.

I had always thought that cordwood masonry looked ugly - like the bastard child of a brick house and a log cabin. But now I think that it is a very flexible building method that can accomodate a wide range of plans. In addition, what has been called "cobwood" makes it look even more attractive, as the concrete portion of the wall is replaced by cob, reducing the embodied energy in the wall (see more about this alternative in Rob Roy's book Cordwood Building). As far as I can tell, cob is indistinguishable from daub, as in "wattle and daub". I don't know enough yet about its structural properties.

A cordwood masonry building can be round, which is a beautiful thing. It could have a reciprocal frame roof, also a beautiful roof. But I will build a rectangular shed with a 1:12 pitch shed roof, as rectangular buildings provide the best use of space. Maybe later a round building.

Additional resources:
Youtube user Tony Wrench, author of Building a Low Impact Roundhouse.
Build Your Own Earth Oven - someday it would be fun.

kardia

2008-11-24T03:57:00.000-08:00

Since I've thinking a lot about the physical body lately, I recently focused my attention on one of its organs - the heart, which is the theme of this post. I heart my heart (actually I have suspected that my heart was my favorite organ since 08 July 2007 when I longed to buy a heart rate monitor to use while biking).

Heart disease - biggest killer.
American Heart Association - sponsor of campaigns to raise awareness and promote healthy hearts.
Obama - Health care is a right!
Electrocardiogram - visualize it on your laptop.
ECG tattoos - creative.
Heart Rate monitors - wear them like a wristwatch.
Heart Math - profiting off of cardiology research.
What is an angiogram? - see one here.
Where does the blood flow? - diagrams here and here.
What does a beating heart look like? - computer animation here.

I really can't recommend that animation highly enough, it is worth the look. Now I am off to take better care of and appreciate the amazing organ that rhythmically pumps in my chest.

Mind body dichotomy? Perhaps no.

2008-11-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

"The absence of an empirically identifiable meeting point between the non-physical mind and its physical extension has proven problematic..." This is the source of the concept of a mind-body dichotomy. But I think this problem in the philosophy of mind will be resolved with further experiments on cockroaches someday. Or fruitflies. Just as the compound word "spacetime" has replaced a distinction between space and time, so too is "bodymind" removing another outdated distinction. But what does this mean conceptually? Are the properties I have assigned to one or the other in reality mutually shared by each? The lines are blurring even more.

Sometimes it seems as though my mind would rather not take care of my body. But I could also think of this as my bodymind unsuccessfully searching for an easier way of life that may or may not meet success in the long term (though it hasn't much improved things in the short term). It is interesting to reflect on what the evolution of the human bodymind has led to so far. But beware; evolution is more notorious for its failures rather than its successes, decisively favoring the most resourceful members of a population. During my imaginative tangents in life, I should do well to remember the tried and true basics of survival, which may, in the end, prove to be the most radical method of all, as I am sure Lao-Tzu would agree.

The concept of artificial consciousness seems based on the presupposition of a body-mind dichotomy, so far that a consciousness is conceivable without more than a passing regard to the composition of an originating material body, organic or otherwise. If it were instead based on a bodymind foundation, artificial consciousness might be conceived of differently (i.e. natural bodymind vs. artificial bodymind, assuming the terms mind and consciousness/awareness can be used interchangeably). Mind without body is like time without space.

References: Wikipedia's Mind-body dichotomy article.

the body

2008-11-13T01:07:00.000-08:00

How does one take care of one's own body? I put together a list of six common items for responsible self-care. Can you think of others that should be included here?

1. Eat well balanced meals.
2. Exercise on a regular basis.
3. Get enough sleep.
4. Live in a warm and sheltered place.
5. Practice good hygiene.
6. Have access to health care services.

I addressed this question as part of an inquiry into how the body affects the mind and what the mind's relationship to the body really is. Is the role of the mind solely as a servant to the body? In other words: Does the body use the mind, or does the mind use the body? Perhaps this is a misleading question. Linji Yixuan (d. 866) had a few thoughts about the mind/body relationship. He is recorded to have said "Over a lump of reddish flesh there sits a pure man who... comes in and out of your sense organs all the time." Linji was concerned more with the mind than the body. There is a very obvious reason to be concerned with the mind (though this one may not have been shared by Linji). Even if the mind is only a servant, it must function at its best to ensure it's continued survival. Higher brain functions are a luxury that can be sacrificed to maintain survival of the body under conditions of extreme stress or injury. Keep the body happy or the mind will have no peace. But will merely keeping the body happy provide the mind with peace? That is an an unexamined assumption held by many people that I intend to test.

Citations: A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, p. 445

It is interesting to note that this sounds very similar to Epicurianism, which is a form of hedonism and a materialist philosophy. Modern adherents have included many recognizable names including Thomas Jefferson and Christopher Hitchens. The famous statement Carpe Diem ("Seize the Day") was by Horace, a follower of the teachings of Epicurus.

E²S²H² is an abbriviation for the items listed above: Eat, Exercise, Sleep, Shelter, Hygiene, and Health Care. These seem so intuitively simple, but I think they are really far more abstract. How is each accomplished, but through a litany of many smaller and diverse actions and a variety of methods.

- last edited 19 November 2008