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We all grow old, don't we?
Nostalgic note: I remember back when I used to resent you for calling religion 'insanity'. Nowadays, I find it costs me strenuous effort to summon the very memory of a mindset where I could see it as anything but.
There was a time when I was very rude to religious people because I thought that made me wise. Then there was a time when I was very polite because I thought equity in consideration was wise.
Now I'm just curt because I have science to do and no time to deal with fools.
In response to
Rationality Quotes October 2013
Any fool can know. The point is to understand.
Maybe Einstein, maybe not.
This ought to be embedded deeply in the minds of everyone involved in education. Most regrettably, it is not.
Followed by:
Him: We walked along the sea for days and we didn't learn anything. Up here we're learning lots.
Her: We haven't learned why the sea rose.
Him: But maybe we were never going to.
Him: There's food and water here. I don't want to go all the way back down, walk along the sea for a few more days, then have to turn around.
Him: Maybe the sea is too big to understand. We can't answer every question.
Her: No, But I think we can answer any question.
That last part is the most important.
We can't answer every question.
No, but I think we can answer any question.
and by an elementary reasoning known in physics as "dimensional analysis", dividing a number of issues by another number of issues cannot give us an ROI
This is just being nit-picky, but from a dimensional analysis point of view, both "dollars per dollar" and "issues per issue" are dimensionless figures, and are thus in fact the same dimension.
There are cases in which you can relate dimensionless units. For instance, moles is a dimensionless unit, it just means times 6.022*10^23. But you can relate moles to moles in some cases, for instance with electrolysis. If you know how many electrons are being pumped into a reaction and you want to know how much Fe(II) becomes Fe, then you can compare moles of electrons to moles of Iron, even though neither moles, elements, or electrons can be related directly to one another in the conventional sense of m/s. In the same way one can relate dollars of one thing to dollars of another and get a meaningful answer.
You are right to point this out though, it is skirting very close to the gray areas of dimensional analysis without being explicitly mentioned as doing so.
But I don't think it likely that the quote would make others more likely to guess who made such a wish correctly.
It makes me much more likely to guess who made a which correctly. It never would have occurred to me that anyone said it prior to reading it.
And now I feel stupid. Thank you very much. (No sarcasm)
Those are not very impressive disadvantages.
So far as I can tell, the only insurmountable disadvantage is that you can't use a Thorium reactor to make nuclear bombs. Wait, did I say disadvantage? I meant advantage. Or, well ... are you a politician or an average person? That'll make the difference between advantage and disadvantage.
It is, actually -- I read the fic months ago.
But I don't think it likely that the quote would make others more likely to guess who made such a wish correctly.
I think it's pretty clear that scientific conclusions can be dangerous in the sense that telling everybody about them is dangerous. For example, the possibility of nuclear weapons. On the other hand, there should probably be an ethical injunction against deciding what kind of science other people get to do. (But in return maybe scientists themselves should think more carefully about whether what they're doing is going to kill the human race or not.)
That's the thing, the science wasn't good or bad, it was the to decision to give the results to certain people that held that quality of good/bad. And it was very, very bad. But the process of looking at the world, wondering how it works, then figuring out how it works, and then making it work the way you desire, that process carries with it no intrinsic moral qualities.
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Frozen is a decent movie by today's standards. But turns out I'm a grumpy old man who hates the values of modern movies. Explaining why will take spoilers, so prepare ye for a wall of rot13 (which is long because I want to make this accessible to people who haven't seen the movie):
Sebmra unf sbhe cevznel punenpgref: Ryfn, gur ryqre fvfgre, Naan, gur lbhatre fvfgre (obgu cevaprffrf), Unaf, gur punezvat cevapr, naq Xevfgbss, gur vpr zrepunag. Ryfn unf gur zntvp cbjre gb perngr vpr; cynlvat jvgu Naan bar avtug, fur nppvqragnyyl fubbgf ure jvgu vpr, naq Naan vf frevbhfyl vawherq. N gebyy urnyf Naan naq nygref ure zrzbevrf, gryyvat gur xvat gung Ryfn arrqf gb yrnea gb pbageby ure cbjref be greevoyr guvatf jvyy unccra. Gur xvat gryyf Ryfn gb uvqr ure cbjref naq ercerff gurz naq bgure rzbgvbaf. Ryfn naq Naan fgbc orvat sevraqf orpnhfr Ryfn ybpxf urefrys va ure ebbz.
Yvxr nyzbfg nyy Qvfarl cneragf, gur xvat naq dhrra cebzcgyl qvr. Snfg sbejneq n srj lrnef, naq Ryfn'f pbebangvba qnl vf urer, nybat jvgu nyy bs gur sbervta qvtavgnevrf. Gur pnfgyr tngrf ner bcrarq, naq Naan vf rpfgngvp ng gur bccbeghavgl gb svanyyl zrrg crbcyr gung nera'g freinagf, naq rkpvgrqyl fvatf nobhg zrrgvat ure gehr ybir ng gur onyy nsgre gur pbebangvba.
Ragre Unaf, gur unaqfbzr naq fzbbgu cevapr, jub nccrnef gb or n terng zngpu sbe Naan, pngpuvat ure jurarire ure njxjneqarff pnhfrf ure gb snyy, naq fvatvat n qhrg jvgu ure. Gurl rkpvgrqyl qrpvqr gb trg ratntrq, naq tb gb Ryfn sbe ure oyrffvat. Ryfn ershfrf gb tvir ure oyrffvat, fur naq Naan svtug, jvgu Naan fangpuvat Ryfn'f tybir, naq gura Ryfn'f natel unaq zbirzrag gheaf vagb n jnir bs vpr zntvp.
Ryfn syrrf vagb gur avtug, jvgu fhzzre encvqyl gheavat vagb jvagre orpnhfr bs ure zntvp; Naan qrpvqrf gb frg bss nsgre ure, naq gryyf Unaf gb fgnl ng gur pnfgyr naq znantr gur gbja'f pevfvf. Ur qbrf fb pbzcrgragyl.
Naan zrrgf hc jvgu Xevfgbss, gur ybare vpr zrepunag, naq gbtrgure gurl znxr vg hc gur zbhagnva gb gur vpr cnynpr Ryfn ohvyqf sbe urefrys jvgu ure zntvp. Xevfgbss, jub zbpxrq Naan sbe trggvat ratntrq gur qnl fur zrg n thl, svaqf gur vpr cnynpr ernyyl vzcerffvir, qrpynevat "vpr vf zl yvsr!"
Ng nobhg guvf cbvag, gur raqvat V'z ubcvat sbe vf gung Unaf naq Naan trg zneevrq, Xevfgbss naq Ryfn trg zneevrq, Ryfn noqvpngrf gur guebar gb Naan orpnhfr fur'q zhpu engure unat bhg ba zbhagnvagbcf pensgvat vpr guna qrny jvgu crbcyr, naq Naan trgf gb ubyq nyy gur cnegvrf gung fur jnagf gb ubyq. Rkgebiregf naq vagebiregf obgu jva!
Naan zrrgf Ryfn, jub unf yrg ure unve qbja naq vf ybivat yvsr ba gur zbhagnva, jurer fur'f svanyyl serr gb hfr ure cbjref jvgubhg gur evfx bs uhegvat nalbar. Rkprcg, bbcf, fur'f sebmra gur swbeq gur gbja vf ba, naq hayrff fur fbzrubj gheaf vg bss vg'f onq arjf sbe rirelbar. Fur sernxf bhg gung ure serrqbz vf na vyyhfvba, naq guvf gvzr zbegnyyl jbhaqf Naan. Xevfgbss ehfurf ure gb gur gebyy, jub qrpynerf gung bayl na npg bs gehr ybir pna fnir ure sebz Ryfn'f vpr nebhaq ure urneg.
Xevfgbss gura ehfurf ure onpx gb gur gbja naq Unaf, jurer Unaf jvyy xvff ure naq fnir ure yvsr. Ng guvf cbvag zl ubcrq-sbe raqvat vf fgvyy cbffvoyr ohg gur ahzore bs bofgnpyrf va gur jnl ner tebjvat.
Unaf vf nobhg gb xvff Naan- naq gura erirnyf gung, fhecevfr! Ur npghnyyl qbrfa'g ybir ure, bayl jnagrq gur guebar, naq jnf cynaavat gb xvyy ure fvfgre riraghnyyl naljnl. Orpnhfr bs pbhefr jr pna'g unir n punezvat cevapr npghnyyl or n tbbq thl va n zbivr.
Inevbhf ghezbvy naq rkpvgrzrag unccraf. Naan guvaxf gung npghnyyl Xevfgbss vf ure gehr ybir, orpnhfr ur qrpvqrq gb tb ba gur nqiragher jvgu ure vafgrnq bs yrggvat ure serrmr nybar, naq gura nggrzcgf gb fnpevsvpr urefrys gb fnir Ryfn sebz Unaf- juvpu gheaf bhg gb or gur npg bs gehr ybir juvpu zrygf gur vpr nebhaq ure urneg. Ryfn ernyvmrf "bu, bs pbhefr, V'z va n Qvfarl zbivr- ybir vf gur grnpure'f cnffjbeq! Onz, rgreany jvagre bire." Gur pnfgyr tngrf ner bcrarq hc creznaragyl. Unaf vf frag onpx gb uvf ubzr pbhagel va punvaf, naq n qhxr V unira'g zragvbarq jub'f n greevoyr qnapre jvgu unve ybff gung gevrq gb xvyy Ryfn (nsgre gur jubyr "V'z na vpr jvgpu jub'f tbvat gb zheqre rirelbar jvgu jvagre" vapvqrag, juvpu frrzf fbeg bs whfgvsvrq gb zr) unf genqr fnapgvbaf vzcbfrq ntnvafg uvf pbhagel, qrfcvgr gurz orvat n znwbe genqvat cnegare. Naan ercynprf Xevfgbss'f byq fyrq gung jnf jerpxrq va gur ehfu gb ernpu Ryfn jvgu n arj, snapvre fyrq. Gur zbafgebhf fabj tbyrz Ryfn znqr svaqf gur pebja Ryfn qvgpurq va ure vpr cnynpr, naq qryvtugf va orvat n cerggl cevaprff (jryy, dhrra). Naq... gung'f gur erfbyhgvba.
Abj, sbe pbagenfg, yrg'f ybbx ng nabgure zbivr. Creuncf vg jnf ba zl zvaq orpnhfr gur gurngre V fnj Sebmra ng cynlf ybgf bs byq zbivrf, naq jr'er nccebnpuvat Puevfgznf, ohg Juvgr Puevfgznf vf fb byq gung vg jnf yvgrenyyl zl tenaqcneragf' svefg qngr zbivr. Vg nyfb unf sbhe znva punenpgref- n cnve bs thlf naq cnve bs tveyf (nyfb fvfgref). Gur pybfrfg guvat gur zbivr unf gb n ivyynva vf vtabenapr (jryy, naq na rnirfqebccre), naq (fcbvyref!) raqf jryy sbe onfvpnyyl rirel punenpgre. Gur thlf naq tveyf cnve hc va tbbq zngpurf, naq vg'f yvxryl Qnivf jvyy trg uvf 45 zvahgrf n qnl. Gur ergverq trareny vf erzvaqrq gung ur'f abg sbetbggra ol nyy uvf byq fbyqvref jub yrnir gurve snzvyvrf bhg bs yblnygl gb fbzrguvat ynetre guna gurzfryirf, naq gur hafrnfbanoyr jrngure oernxf naq vg fabjf va gvzr sbe Puevfgznf.
Pbzcner gb Xevfgbss trggvat n arj fyrq, Unaf orvat vzcevfbarq, naq gur crbcyr bs Jrfrygba naq Ryfn'f xvatqbz obgu fhssrevat sebz genqr orvat phg bss orpnhfr bs crefbany navzbfvgl orgjrra haryrpgrq yrnqref. Orfvqrf Ryfn qrpvqvat gb bcra urefrys hc rzbgvbanyyl gb crbcyr, vg'f abg pyrne nalbar vf fvtavsvpnagyl orggre bss. Xevfgbss abj unf na bssvpvny gvgyr, juvpu vf cebonoyl jbegu fbzrguvat, ohg erznvaf n ybare envfrq ol gebyyf. (Bu lrnu, vg'f urnivyl vzcyvrq gurl xvqanccrq uvz sebz uvf npghny snzvyl, ohg fbzrubj gung vfa'g na vffhr?) Znlor ur naq Naan ner oblsevraq-tveysevraq? Ohg gura gur pbhagel vf jbefr bss orpnhfr vafgrnq bs na nqinagntrbhf zneevntr gb, fnl, fbzrbar jub'f fghqvrq fgngrpensg, gur frpbaq va yvar gb gur guebar pna zneel fbzrbar jubfr cevznel fxvyy vf phggvat hc vpr naq jub cvpxf uvf abfr naq rngf vg. Ohg nccneragyl gung fbeg bs qlanfgvp guvaxvat- be, ernyyl, pbaprea sbe nalbar abg va n aneebj pvepyr bs sevraqf naq snzvyl- vf whfg gbb sbervta gb zbqrea fpevcgjevgref.
Vg jnf n pyrire pbaprvg gung gur cevaprff jnf gur qbre bs gur npg bs gehr ybir, engure guna gur erpvcvrag. Ohg V pna'g or gur bayl bar gung jvfurf zber zbivrf unq ab punenpgref gung jrag orlbaq abezny uhzna frysvfuarff naq sbyyl, juvpu ner zvfrel rabhtu, naq raqrq jryy sbe rirelbar vaibyirq. Vg jbhyq nyfb or avpr vs, lbh xabj, jr npghnyyl tbg fbzr cevaprf jbegu rzhyngvat naq/be yhfgvat nsgre, engure guna na raqyrff fgernz bs onq rknzcyrf? (Juvpu erzvaqf zr: Fyrrcvat Ornhgl, gung Qvfarl pynffvp nobhg gur thl naq ryqreyl srznyr urycref jub fnir n tvey sebz na rivy ovgpu jub qrpvqrq gung gur evtug jnl gb erfcbaq gb abg trggvat n cnegl vaivgngvba jnf gb zheqre n puvyq, vf orvat ervagrecergrq nf gur gnyr bs ubj onq puvyqubbq rkcrevraprf whfgvsl orvat rivy. NUUUUU)
I saw the path Frozen's plot took as well done.
I liked the fact that Anna's relationship with Hans didn't work out. Disney went out of its way to poke holes in the traditional 'love at first sight' meme, something I think is a huge improvement on how Disney portrays most relationships. Furthermore, they showed Anna and Kristoff's relationship to grow on a solid foundation over time, and to be mutually pursued, as opposed to being a one-sided chase. Whereas Anna wanted her relationship with Hans to miraculously change her life, her relationship with Kristoff is an important part of her life without being her reason d'etre. All of this, to me, seems much better than the stereotypical fairytale romance.
Yes, Elsa doesn't end up with a relationship. Which isn't really a problem to me. She has personal problems she needs to work out, and she doesn't show any interest in a relationship. So a relationship is unnecessary.
You made a rather big deal out of the trade deal being broken and the ramifications thereof. But honestly, I think it was the right decision. The mayor of Wesseltown shows a clear desire to exploit the resources of Elsa's kingdom (in classic Disney fashion, he says so out loud). He bears them no good will. When Elsa's power broke loose, a potentially salvageable situation was ruined by his hostile reaction. And when they attempted to capture Elsa, his orders to kill her almost got people killed and came dangerously close to permanently ruining any hope of resolving the eternal winter. He showed a clear disregard for their kingdom's well-being, demonstrated an inability to see past his own prejudices, and tried to KILL THEIR QUEEN. Any one of these would be good reason to break off trade. In particular, the political ramifications of a show of weakness on the order of ignoring an attempted assassination are probably much worse than loss of trade.
Fairytale stories have a habit of setting up female protagonists as damsels (who am I kidding, stories in general have this habit). Time after time after time we see female characters put in situations where their only hope is for the strong male to save them. This trope could see some time without use, which is what we saw in Frozen. Disney played on our expectations of Anna being saved by her newly minted boyfriend's love so they could violate that expectation. Instead they showed a selfless act, reconciliation, and a long-term bond as the ingredients for an act of true love. I think that's a good thing.
Yes, in the end things were not perfect. Elsa still needs to learn how to deal with people. Anna is a bit more idealistic and naive than is healthy. Kristoff still needs to learn how to deal with people. The trade repercussions with Wesseltown are going to suck. Which I find a nice change of pace from the neat and tidy "happily ever after" endings. Life goes on, still imperfect but better than before.
(Can't say anything about Sleeping Beauty. I haven't really been paying attention to it.)