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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: What creates the fractal branching shape and why?

« on: 11/09/2015 18:53:27 »

How do the energy particles/waves know what is the cheapest route?

By trying routes in all directions and following the easiest one they encounter ...

The random Brownian motion of the particles mean they try to move in all directions,  and will follow the path of least resistance they encounter, e.g. a patch with lower pressure, or region with less electrical repulsion ,  ( the filaments in Lichtenberg figures are evenly spaced because they repel one another ).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterns_in_nature#Trees.2C_fractals

And is the reason why they can encounter routes in all possible directions due to wave-particle duality? Because the wave property is able to simultaneously try every possibility and therefore will "select" the path of least resistance?

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Technology / Re: Could computers gain some degree of self-awareness one day?

« on: 04/01/2015 22:06:18 »

What would be the end of that sentence? "An entity could described as self-aware if.." What does it have to be able to do, that we know of so far?

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Technology / Re: Could computers gain some degree of self-awareness one day?

« on: 04/01/2015 16:22:12 »

"Windows is looking for a solution to the problem". Is that a symptom of selfawareness?

Well that's what I'm asking you. I am not a computer or maths specialist, so I thought I'd ask the people who understand about computers.

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Technology / Could computers gain some degree of self-awareness one day?

« on: 04/01/2015 15:28:12 »

If consciousness emerged as a result of the complexity of the human mind, could a computer begin to gain some self-awareness if it were complex enough? Could it eventually gain a level of self-awareness that is similar to our own or even more superior to ours?

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Just Chat! / Re: What are your thoughts on this famous poem?

« on: 14/11/2014 21:34:37 »

Poems are codes wrapped up in, usually, beautiful words. You can appreciate poems on the level of the beautiful images and sounds or you can look deeper. The choice is yours. But why would people do a degree in literature only to find out that every poem about an animal/sunset/journey etc. is just about that and not about gender politics, religion, politics, sexuality etc. real poetry disturbs you, moves you and makes you think. You can't write 2000 words on a poem that is only about a frog and doesn't have wider reaching themes

However maybe the poet really intended it to be just about the frog, there are poems which were intended to be simply observations about nature, but   the interpreter can interpret it in their own way as long as it makes sense. That is how literary criticism works, it annoys people, it turns people off. It turns me off to to an extent, too. But I like to see what they say and compare that with my own ideas. Thats my choice. You can read The Charge of the Light brigade, Lady of Shallot, To Autumn, Daffodils, The Windhover, and many other poems and enjoy reading them without ever looking uo any critics' opinions. However in order to write university essays, or school essays you would probably have to and search for meanings - whether they were intentionally put there or not.

Surely the reason why Shakespeare has lasted so long is that his work can be analysed in so many ways. Any writer surely would like it that someone found their own meaning in their writing. Or are writers to be dictators with the ideas their work conjures?

 The artist's intention isn't where it begins or ends. And artists do not have access to the subconscious workings of their own mind - where arguably spontaneous poetry and creative ideas flow from. Poets aren't  psycho-analysers and they can't necessarily analyse their own creative thoughts. One writer said that his purpose isn't to analyse himself but to just write it, others can do the analysing. Critics do write all kinds of things, but who knows what the writer intended? The writer doesn't even know everything about his spontaneous creative ideas.

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Fun maths problems

« on: 14/11/2014 21:08:10 »

Is it a number puzzle or letter puzzle?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Fun maths problems

« on: 14/11/2014 21:06:23 »

The answer to the ten-digit problem is:

6210001000

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Fun maths problems

« on: 14/11/2014 15:26:27 »

Can you give a clue with the FMAMJJA puzzle?

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Just Chat! / Re: What are your thoughts on this famous poem?

« on: 14/11/2014 15:04:33 »

Reading about a critic's analysis of a wine isn't comparable to reading a critical analysis of a poem. The first you do, as you said, to see if it's the kind of wine you like, the latter you do to get a better understanding of what you just read. So the wine analysis you read first and then may or may not drink the wine; with the poem, you read it first totally blind and then if you are interested to see other opinions on it you read up on it. When I read a poem, I like to think about what it really means - all good poetry means something beyond just pretty words. Sometimes
I draw a blank or have some ideas but know there is more to it, so I look for an analysis. When I read the analysis I think things like - 'That's interesting not sure I agree,' 'Yes, I can see now that is what the poet is really saying,'  'I don't really agree with that, but nice theory,' 'I think he maybe he is saying similar something to that.'

If you wanted to become a good critic of wine then maybe you would treat it like a poem. Drink it first, make your opinions up, then look for what a more experienced critic than you has said.

And actually I don't often read poems totally blind - the very fact they have been published means quite a lot of appreciators of literature think that this is good poetry. However on the internet when you come across poems (many of which are not really poems), you don't always know if they have been published or not, so you really can read it blind. If the 'poem' is really bad I don't finish reading it and definitely don't look for anyone else's opinion on it.

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Just Chat! / Re: What are your thoughts on this famous poem?

« on: 13/11/2014 19:20:05 »

But what is the trap? That I didn't respond with my analysis? I will do that soon. And if you really wanted to know what critics think about the poem, there's spark notes and wikipedia for a short analysis.

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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: Am I right in thinking sexual reproduction began with communication?

« on: 13/11/2014 19:10:40 »

Well I know they really don't hope for anything lol. And they don't desire or have a purpose either, just like we don't have a purpose.

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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: Is there any evidence that lefties are more intelligent and more creative?

« on: 13/11/2014 19:03:44 »

I am not sure that that train of thought of mine really made sense either.

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Just Chat! / Re: What are your thoughts on this famous poem?

« on: 13/11/2014 13:02:53 »

I am sorry, are you angry? I wanted to wait a couple days that's all.

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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Is there any evidence that lefties are more intelligent and more creative?

« on: 13/11/2014 12:53:23 »

Is there evidence? Or is it to do with there being less left handed people?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Why do we get one big rainbow instead of thousands of tiny ones?

« on: 13/11/2014 12:48:59 »

So I am given to understand that the sunlight refracts through the water droplets like a light ray travelling through a prism and being split into the colours of the rainbows; but if this happens to each raindrop then why aren't there thousands of tiny rainbows in the sky rather than one (or two) big one(s)?

Are these decent books on light and rainbows?

 Feynman's Six Easy Pieces
Catching the Light: The Entwined History of Light and Mind by Arthur Zajonc published in 1995.

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Fun maths problems

« on: 13/11/2014 12:41:27 »

The stain of guilt lies with the perpetrator. May the Lord have mercy on your soul, Sir or Madam.

Is this humour..?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Fun maths problems

« on: 12/11/2014 00:10:36 »

The link was bad if that's what you meant by terrorism. I missed out an 's' by accident.


And I'm not plugging them, I have nothing to do with them. But I didn't make up the puzzle. So just referencing the source.

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Fun maths problems

« on: 12/11/2014 00:06:14 »

I am not trying to promote it, I just wanted to cite my source. But I suppose it doesn't really matter, it's not going to be plagiarism really. Terrorism?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Why do some lottery combinations seem impossible?

« on: 11/11/2014 19:42:55 »

If you're not going to believe us if we say "3," then what is the point of asking the question in the first place?

True, it was a bit pointless of me to ask. The only answer I truly would accept is that you would think "3" but do "2."

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Just Chat! / Re: What are your thoughts on this famous poem?

« on: 11/11/2014 19:39:12 »

Ok, interesting and thank you for the reply!   []

I do have quite a bit to add to what you've said, and don't agree with certain things you've said, namely one thing.

But before giving my analysis of the poem, I'd like to see if a few other people have any ideas to add.