how would you rate "the control of artificial limbs by thought alone"?
as with all technological developments there is both the potential for constructive use as well as destructive. in my opinion we, as a society, have not exactly acted responsibly with our existing technology. i can point to many examples of "technological advancements" which have harmed more than helped: GMO food, fluoride in drinking water, DDT, and hysterectomies, not even mentioning bombs and weapons. i am certainly in favor of advancement, but in the service of humanity, not multi-national corporations. if technology surpasses wisdom we then may very well perish at the hands of our own creations. too often man becomes clever and not wise.
thought controlled artificial limbs would be a great idea to help some people, but i can also dream up a military scenario where the army experiments with the production of "robo-cop-soldier". and it wasn't even a good movie.
would you support the development of a "bionic" person?
well, picking up where i left off..........please see above statement.
thanks for a very interesting physics class. i enjoyed it.
chris
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Sunday, April 1, 2007
ENERGY MEDICINE AND ENERGY FIELDS
acupuncture as effective energy medicine:
this question for me is obvious: everything is energy: matter, material, thoughts emotions, etc. therefore acupuncture is "energy medicine', so is allopathic medicine for that matter. but acupuncture has an additional component because it works with subtle energy to effect change on the material plane. the idea of yin and yang is in itself the basis of acupuncture, and of course these forces are energy. the interesting part for me is that acupuncture works from the top down -- attempting to balance the subtle energies. allopathic medicine much of the time tries to effect change on the material level only -- thus it will meet with limited success in certain cases.
what conclusions can you draw from kirlian photography:
not sure exactly what conclusions i can draw definitively. but it is nice to see photographic proof of energy. indeed this is the only way some people will believe in anything slightly outside mainstream thinking. all objects have an energetic quality. kirlian photography captures an image of it. but in light of einstein most scientists do not need this photographic proof. again it might aid the uninitiated to have a picture to aid in greater understanding. until our understanding grows we will not comprehend the full implications of kirlian photography.
human intent as it affects health:
intent may be one of the greatest determinants of human health. on the other hand it may be virtually ineffective. i believe that our spiritual development and maturity are commensurate to our spiritual abilities. intent is spiritual. intent exists in the non-material realm of thought -- all thoughts are like prayers. if we have clear thoughts (intent) and give energy (emotions) to our thoughts, it can help manifest them faster. but it is quite appropriate that not all intent will be materialized -- woe to humanity if it did. at our currant development it is quite natural to have disjointed, destructive, and ambivalent thoughts that we may not be able to control. if we focus on positive, life affirming thoughts this will have a profoundly positive affect on our health.
this question for me is obvious: everything is energy: matter, material, thoughts emotions, etc. therefore acupuncture is "energy medicine', so is allopathic medicine for that matter. but acupuncture has an additional component because it works with subtle energy to effect change on the material plane. the idea of yin and yang is in itself the basis of acupuncture, and of course these forces are energy. the interesting part for me is that acupuncture works from the top down -- attempting to balance the subtle energies. allopathic medicine much of the time tries to effect change on the material level only -- thus it will meet with limited success in certain cases.
what conclusions can you draw from kirlian photography:
not sure exactly what conclusions i can draw definitively. but it is nice to see photographic proof of energy. indeed this is the only way some people will believe in anything slightly outside mainstream thinking. all objects have an energetic quality. kirlian photography captures an image of it. but in light of einstein most scientists do not need this photographic proof. again it might aid the uninitiated to have a picture to aid in greater understanding. until our understanding grows we will not comprehend the full implications of kirlian photography.
human intent as it affects health:
intent may be one of the greatest determinants of human health. on the other hand it may be virtually ineffective. i believe that our spiritual development and maturity are commensurate to our spiritual abilities. intent is spiritual. intent exists in the non-material realm of thought -- all thoughts are like prayers. if we have clear thoughts (intent) and give energy (emotions) to our thoughts, it can help manifest them faster. but it is quite appropriate that not all intent will be materialized -- woe to humanity if it did. at our currant development it is quite natural to have disjointed, destructive, and ambivalent thoughts that we may not be able to control. if we focus on positive, life affirming thoughts this will have a profoundly positive affect on our health.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
BIOPHYSICS
i know i'm a "living system" because:
living systems are, in my opinion, a system of consciousness. and i have a degree of consciousness or i would not be writing this, or anything else. consciousness allows all things to be: people, animals, stones, plants, etc. from this point of view all things are living, meaning there is a degree of consciousness in everything. a rock would cease to be a rock without this degree of consciousness.
biophysics and me:
this is an interesting topic for me. all physical entities are governed by physical laws. biological systems are also governed by these same laws, but in a greater degree of complexity. and further, man as a whole is an extension of cosmic/metaphysical laws which include biophysics. i believe in the great descending chain of laws. as above, so below. metaphysical laws are not contradictory to physical or biophysical laws -- these are a natural fulfilment of metaphysical laws. some people point to so called "miracles" as evidence that physical laws are not fundamental, but this is unsatisfying to me. "miracles" are the result of a fulfilment of metaphysical laws with a visible or immediate effect on the physical plane -- Jesus said he came to fulfill the law.
living systems are, in my opinion, a system of consciousness. and i have a degree of consciousness or i would not be writing this, or anything else. consciousness allows all things to be: people, animals, stones, plants, etc. from this point of view all things are living, meaning there is a degree of consciousness in everything. a rock would cease to be a rock without this degree of consciousness.
biophysics and me:
this is an interesting topic for me. all physical entities are governed by physical laws. biological systems are also governed by these same laws, but in a greater degree of complexity. and further, man as a whole is an extension of cosmic/metaphysical laws which include biophysics. i believe in the great descending chain of laws. as above, so below. metaphysical laws are not contradictory to physical or biophysical laws -- these are a natural fulfilment of metaphysical laws. some people point to so called "miracles" as evidence that physical laws are not fundamental, but this is unsatisfying to me. "miracles" are the result of a fulfilment of metaphysical laws with a visible or immediate effect on the physical plane -- Jesus said he came to fulfill the law.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
SYNTHESIS
my e-prime day
in memory i believe the sun was shinning upon my bedroom curtain as i awoke. partaking of my breakfast musli registered a taste i would regard as pleasant that i so discerned the emotion of satisfaction upon eating it. my wife appeared happy and relaxed as she came out of the bedroom. attending to business for what i believe was an hour and thirty minutes, i think i perceived a bit of boredom with a discernible temptation for my mind to wonder. i think. i believe a red volkswagen passed me while i retrieved the mail and my skin registered sensations that i interpreted as cold. i proceeded to engage in what i believe is yoga stretching and noticed that in my opinion the body tends to relax after such an endeavor. after eating a lunch of lamb and vegetable soup it appeared as if i was full. i watched what i think is a movie on the television. feeling a condition of tiredness i took what i regard as a short nap. i woke up at what looked like dusk to my eyes and felt it would be a good idea to have a glass of wine. i chose a spanish rioja, but i usually choose bordeaux, because in my current state of preference, french wine tastes superior. from my point of view drinking alcohol in sufficient quantity produces all the effects inebriation (attributed to oscar wilde).
can i synthesize east and west?
i hope i can. this is one of the main reasons i am learning the art of acupuncture. synthesis is the new paradigm. purely western (or eastern) thinking is limited. a new model of the universe will be evolved from bridging the two. the two polarities (east and west) desperately need each other. it is a yin yang relationship and the real beauty is in synthesizing them. the world is already moving in this direction. can anyone deny that a global village is emerging?
in memory i believe the sun was shinning upon my bedroom curtain as i awoke. partaking of my breakfast musli registered a taste i would regard as pleasant that i so discerned the emotion of satisfaction upon eating it. my wife appeared happy and relaxed as she came out of the bedroom. attending to business for what i believe was an hour and thirty minutes, i think i perceived a bit of boredom with a discernible temptation for my mind to wonder. i think. i believe a red volkswagen passed me while i retrieved the mail and my skin registered sensations that i interpreted as cold. i proceeded to engage in what i believe is yoga stretching and noticed that in my opinion the body tends to relax after such an endeavor. after eating a lunch of lamb and vegetable soup it appeared as if i was full. i watched what i think is a movie on the television. feeling a condition of tiredness i took what i regard as a short nap. i woke up at what looked like dusk to my eyes and felt it would be a good idea to have a glass of wine. i chose a spanish rioja, but i usually choose bordeaux, because in my current state of preference, french wine tastes superior. from my point of view drinking alcohol in sufficient quantity produces all the effects inebriation (attributed to oscar wilde).
can i synthesize east and west?
i hope i can. this is one of the main reasons i am learning the art of acupuncture. synthesis is the new paradigm. purely western (or eastern) thinking is limited. a new model of the universe will be evolved from bridging the two. the two polarities (east and west) desperately need each other. it is a yin yang relationship and the real beauty is in synthesizing them. the world is already moving in this direction. can anyone deny that a global village is emerging?
Sunday, March 11, 2007
CLASSICAL PHYSICS
newton's three laws and me:
by now these laws seem painfully obvious without the advent of quantum physics. they have been a gift and a curse to western development. we have many great things from the development of this rational culture, but to imagine that all things can be explained by newtonian/cartesian thinking will not serve us in the end.
our "energy (in)efficient" culture:
at this point our culture can be seen as anything but efficient. almost everyone owns a car - and drives to work - alone - in an SUV - fifty miles each way - i could go on of course. if anyone thinks this is a basis for rational living i would direct them to the movies "the end of suburbia". and "the corporation". half of the worlds resources are now controlled by less than 50 companies. this unfortunate occurrence has been sold to people all over the world as "globalism" - a good thing for all. one by product of this phenomenon is non local food being shipped all over the country so that a single multi-national company can supply 80% of the total food supply to consumers. not very efficient. further examples of inefficiency are obvious and too numerous to mention here.
descsrtes has a lot to answer for.
i would agree. his famous quote "i think therefore i am" is a fatal flaw in perception. it is mind masquerading as consciousness. he is associating who he is with what he thinks - this is the mind "tricking" the observer. who we are is never our thoughts. people usually imagine they are the last thought or emotion (condensed thought) they have felt or observed. ask a happy person who he is and he will probably say, "I am a happy guy", or someone sad at the moment will say he is a sad person. neither is correct. after all we have many different feelings and thoughts throughout our lives. think of the absurdity if we associated our identity with other feelings - hot and cold for example. one would not say "i am a hot person" just because he felt the sensation of heat at the moment. but our minds have become astute at tricking us into assuming an identity from certain emotions and thoughts we have.
by now these laws seem painfully obvious without the advent of quantum physics. they have been a gift and a curse to western development. we have many great things from the development of this rational culture, but to imagine that all things can be explained by newtonian/cartesian thinking will not serve us in the end.
our "energy (in)efficient" culture:
at this point our culture can be seen as anything but efficient. almost everyone owns a car - and drives to work - alone - in an SUV - fifty miles each way - i could go on of course. if anyone thinks this is a basis for rational living i would direct them to the movies "the end of suburbia". and "the corporation". half of the worlds resources are now controlled by less than 50 companies. this unfortunate occurrence has been sold to people all over the world as "globalism" - a good thing for all. one by product of this phenomenon is non local food being shipped all over the country so that a single multi-national company can supply 80% of the total food supply to consumers. not very efficient. further examples of inefficiency are obvious and too numerous to mention here.
descsrtes has a lot to answer for.
i would agree. his famous quote "i think therefore i am" is a fatal flaw in perception. it is mind masquerading as consciousness. he is associating who he is with what he thinks - this is the mind "tricking" the observer. who we are is never our thoughts. people usually imagine they are the last thought or emotion (condensed thought) they have felt or observed. ask a happy person who he is and he will probably say, "I am a happy guy", or someone sad at the moment will say he is a sad person. neither is correct. after all we have many different feelings and thoughts throughout our lives. think of the absurdity if we associated our identity with other feelings - hot and cold for example. one would not say "i am a hot person" just because he felt the sensation of heat at the moment. but our minds have become astute at tricking us into assuming an identity from certain emotions and thoughts we have.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
COOL EXPERIMENTS
fun with flatware
the spoon experiment involved using it as a mirror from both the front and back. not very interesting and certainly produced a bit of a headache from trying to stare constantly into it. looking at it from the front i appear upside down and right side up from the opposite side. nothing exactly soul stirring.
now the fork experiment was a quite another matter -- very interesting. if one pings the tines of a fork they will sound - nothing miraculous yet. but if one touches the other end of the fork to an object it becomes a resonator and makes it noticeably louder. the experiment suggests using the table but you can go through the whole house using anything you see - glass wear, wine bottles, vases. i had good success with cabinets as they are hollow and produce more sound. who knew? this gives a whole new perspective on appropriate dinner manners.
the knife experiment left me flat, no pun. it involves using it as a mirror reflecting things like letters. made everything look distorted, but i was not quite in awe. go back to fun with the fork.
symbolic
the spoon experiment involved using it as a mirror from both the front and back. not very interesting and certainly produced a bit of a headache from trying to stare constantly into it. looking at it from the front i appear upside down and right side up from the opposite side. nothing exactly soul stirring.
now the fork experiment was a quite another matter -- very interesting. if one pings the tines of a fork they will sound - nothing miraculous yet. but if one touches the other end of the fork to an object it becomes a resonator and makes it noticeably louder. the experiment suggests using the table but you can go through the whole house using anything you see - glass wear, wine bottles, vases. i had good success with cabinets as they are hollow and produce more sound. who knew? this gives a whole new perspective on appropriate dinner manners.
the knife experiment left me flat, no pun. it involves using it as a mirror reflecting things like letters. made everything look distorted, but i was not quite in awe. go back to fun with the fork.
symbolic
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
CHAOS THEORY
"ordered chaos" does this sound familiar? or jumbo shrimp.
as a matter of fact it sounds like the west trying to impose order on something random. the western scientific mind has had trouble with this for centuries. by not acknowledging "chaos" one looses a potential for opportunity and growth. the west has a history of of emphasising one side of the yin yang duality thus rendering an incomplete and distorted view of reality. to the west growth is what is important, whether it be production, stock price, sports, etc. some economists are so entrenched that they refer to a fall as "negative growth."
fractals as patterns of complex systems:
complex to the point of infinity. it is not easy in this material world to contemplate the infinite, but fractals are a start. a snapshot of infinity. circles also come close, but all material attempts are ultimately in vain. the reason pi can not be solved into a whole number is because God refuses to be pinned down to just one thing. the allegory of the tower of babel elucidates the problems inherent in trying to find God in purely material forms - by building a tower to reach heaven. in the end all the workmen misunderstood each other and spoke a different language - still seems applicable in current exoteric religion.
consciousness out of chaos:
this is very similar to the alchemical view of "order out of chaos". all phenomena can be divided into order out of chaos: if one wants to organize (order) his house he usually moves things around, cleans under furniture, stirs up dust, and etc (chaos) to create a better order when finished. consciousness is an energy that allows all things to be - rocks, trees, fish, people, etc. it also allows conscious attention within our psyche. by no means is it "mind". mind is an aspect of consciousness, but consciousness is not an aspect of mind. consciousness is divine - the philosophers stone of the alchemists. it will transmute all that it encounters. try putting attention (consciousness) into a minor pain in the body , (headache, etc) for 5-10 minutes. if one can accept and observe the pain without judgement it begins to decrease and then disappears. consciousness comes out of chaos because it existed before chaos, it is an aspect of the All.
as a matter of fact it sounds like the west trying to impose order on something random. the western scientific mind has had trouble with this for centuries. by not acknowledging "chaos" one looses a potential for opportunity and growth. the west has a history of of emphasising one side of the yin yang duality thus rendering an incomplete and distorted view of reality. to the west growth is what is important, whether it be production, stock price, sports, etc. some economists are so entrenched that they refer to a fall as "negative growth."
fractals as patterns of complex systems:
complex to the point of infinity. it is not easy in this material world to contemplate the infinite, but fractals are a start. a snapshot of infinity. circles also come close, but all material attempts are ultimately in vain. the reason pi can not be solved into a whole number is because God refuses to be pinned down to just one thing. the allegory of the tower of babel elucidates the problems inherent in trying to find God in purely material forms - by building a tower to reach heaven. in the end all the workmen misunderstood each other and spoke a different language - still seems applicable in current exoteric religion.
consciousness out of chaos:
this is very similar to the alchemical view of "order out of chaos". all phenomena can be divided into order out of chaos: if one wants to organize (order) his house he usually moves things around, cleans under furniture, stirs up dust, and etc (chaos) to create a better order when finished. consciousness is an energy that allows all things to be - rocks, trees, fish, people, etc. it also allows conscious attention within our psyche. by no means is it "mind". mind is an aspect of consciousness, but consciousness is not an aspect of mind. consciousness is divine - the philosophers stone of the alchemists. it will transmute all that it encounters. try putting attention (consciousness) into a minor pain in the body , (headache, etc) for 5-10 minutes. if one can accept and observe the pain without judgement it begins to decrease and then disappears. consciousness comes out of chaos because it existed before chaos, it is an aspect of the All.
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