failure

Often you can't. So all you can do is keep up a reasonable defense, to limit worst-case damage, until you figure out who you can trust. And always try to arrange deals such that the other party has an incentive to cooperate. And tolerate the occasional ripoff and disappointment without getting too hardened.

And vote with your feet. And watch out for that radar guy with L******* M***** in Texas.

John

OK, then let's not teach algebra, either. That causes a lot more discomfort than religion; just ask my kid.

John

I'd almost agree. But I think Joe Average does need some semblance of Algebra. However I don't think he needs Calculus in high school... my rule is you only retain what you can apply to real situations... I didn't have Calculus until MIT, but I can probably still teach it, though I now use it rarely.

...Jim Thompson

High school Physics, at least when I had it, was mostly just plugging into equations.

...Jim Thompson

Sounds relatively free if you've not yet been accused of "self-loathing".

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Like the old line: "If you're so damn smart, how did you let yourself become surrounded by idiots?" although I prefer: "Its hard to soar with the eagles when you're surrounded by turkeys!"

I read in sci.electronics.design that Paul Burke wrote (in ) about 'failure', on Tue, 27 Sep

They weren't spontaneously generated from the Atlantic Ocean, of course. They were the first wave of westward Celt migrants, from somewhere around the Black Sea (although they must have originated around the Indus valley because Celtic is an Indo-Germanic language). They obviously couldn't get further west than Ireland until a few thousand years had passed.

I read in sci.electronics.design that Paul Burke wrote (in ) about 'failure', on Tue, 27 Sep

Well, maybe the way he pronounces his 'u'. (Note that I balked at the plural!) But I think a closer rendering is (with all due respect): pall berk.

start of

community

Complete rubbish. It's true that Europeans, particularly Germans, have a hard time dealing with Jews or people that they think are Jewish, and they're really good at spotting of what they think is anti-Semitism. I'm a German-American of Jewish descent (I would have been Jewish enough for the Nazis to have found and killed me, but I'm actually an Atheist) living in Germany. Occasionally things that I say at partys about Israel are criticized as being anti-Semitic or anti-Zionist, but when I point out that my grandmother was a Jew people somehow grant me the right to say what I think about Israeli politics. Probably of fear that calling a Jew anti-Semitic would count as yet another "anti- Semitic incident".

robert

I read in sci.electronics.design that John Larkin wrote (in ) about 'failure', on Tue,

You really think DNA is intelligent and purposive?

What 'holes'?

Read the post. It IS what you say, as well as how you say it. 'It's ONLY a theory' should be on the tombstone of every weasel in Creation.

Is this a conclusion from studying careful and quantitative arguments on the subject, John?

Jon

In sex-ed class ?:-)

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | | | E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat | |

Bob,

I very much enjoyed (and commiserated with) your posting until that last line.

I am probably FAR more tolerant than most posters lurking here.

But, when it comes to the defense of the United States, I AM an absolute hawk.

Otherwise I have absolutely no need for government, OR religion.

But please tell me what troubles you about my stance. Seriously.

...Jim Thompson

As far as I can see, the wrongs numberered a lot more than two, and were pretty much all on the Arab side. The Jews are guilty of wanting to survive, and the european pogroms and the Holocost made them serious about it. I don't really like the Jewish position, but then their alternative was death, so I sort of see how they got the way they are. Arafat never wanted peace - and he could have had it a number of times - because it wouldn't have been fun or profitable. Things may change, someday, but it currently doesn't look super promising.

I don't understand the hostility many europeans have for Israel, and the sympathy for the Palestinians. Guilt? Israel is the only real democracy in that part of the world.

John

No, just different talents. Symbolic math is natural and easy for us, but for some people it just doesn't make sense. But those people may have language, or art, or musical, or athletic skills that we don't have.

(repeat here tirade about the intolerance of "science")

John

I suspect that JA doesn't use algebra a single time in his life, once he's out of school.

John

Yep, I muse about the skills of my children (and grandchildren).

An interesting observation... those in my family skilled at languages are also skilled at writing software.

...Jim Thompson

But the thought process, proportioning, etc.?

...Jim Thompson

Possibly, but that's extreme. But I think it's algorithmically clever, a high-level macro programming language. People usually have five fingers. But sometimes they have six that are fully functional, all muscled and wired up. So there's a detailed heirarchical design to the larger structure "hand." Evolution has been going on long enough that the process of evolution is itself optimized at a pretty high level. Since evolution is probably punctuated by disasters (as opposed to the gradual and gentle Darwinian model) DNA has to have tricks up its sleeve, to be ready to turn on a dime when times get tough. You can expose bacteria to some sorts of toxins and have them "evolve" resistance in days; that's sure not Darwinian.

Like, how did life start? Where did DNA come from? How, specifically, did complex structures and chemistries evolve? What was the chemistry of the planet 1e9 years ago, and how did life work then? How did species split?

"Theory" is not a dirty word, unless your science is actually dogma.

John