harshhpareek comments on Rationality Quotes December 2011 - Less Wrong

4 Post author: Jayson_Virissimo 02 December 2011 06:01AM

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Comment author: harshhpareek 04 December 2011 07:32:21AM *  12 points [-]

The Meander (aka Menderes) is a river in Turkey. As you might expect, it winds all over the place. But it doesn't do this out of frivolity. The path it has discovered is the most economical route to the sea

-- Paul Graham, "The Age of the Essay" (http://www.paulgraham.com/essay.html)

Comment author: jimmy 15 December 2011 07:04:55PM *  4 points [-]

But its not true. (well, under the most reasonable interpretations that come to mind)

Rivers do meander "frivolously" due to instabilities.

Even if it didn't carve into the earth, it wouldn't be true, since it's a simple gradient descent.

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