Posts

Sometimes it is better to forget

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As the hoards of therapists decend on the latest disaster, insisting on "helping" the traumatized, maybe they should forget their Freudian "the mind is a pressure cooker" model of that amazing organ and note that only about 10% of the traumatized need therapy. 90% prefer friends and/or forgetting as a way of coping. And for some of those 90% therapy will actually hurt them. I got those figures from studies quoted in "A Guide to the Good Life" by William Irvine: It linked up to another book I read last year about that tight-fisted liar, fraud and cult leader Freud, "Freud" by Frederick Crews : The problem for some therapists really is that they do not understand science, and so psychoanalysis (which was never ever a science) is ideal for them, just learn the buzzwords, memorize the books and you're done! The mind is a pressure cooker, what goes in must come out! Else it will hurt you! That is the law as laid down by our god, Fr

A sub-mystery

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I pointed out in another post that, in my humble opinion, the two main mysteries of life and the universe are: Why is there something and not nothing? How come we are conscious? And one of the sub-mysteries is how well mathematics works in the real world. This was pointed out in a book I was reading early one morning... ... but it struck me again as I was listening to this on the evening of the same day... There is of course much art and skill in the music, and the music is based on mathematical relationships which create the chords which touch us. And where does all this mathematics come from? (The book by the way is very readable even if you have no ability in mathematics. And the music is wonderful, even if you don't understand Latin. In fact it is probably better not to understand Latin, so you can concentrate on the music. And don't use it as background music, it is music to listen too.)

Art and Science will always fail to collaborate

Ever since I was old enough to notice these things I've seen scientists/engineers and artists trying to bridge the gap between themselves. And it has hardly ever worked. Year after year after year there are articles about the collaboration between art and technology. But it is never a collaboration, not really.  I think the reason is that you need great passion/interest/enthusiasm to become a great engineer/scientist/artist. And that means each person must concentrate on one area.  There are exceptions, Leonardo da Vinci is the best known example, and no others come to my mind. And scientists are happy to investigate and discover and maybe find fame like that. Engineers are just happy creating what they create. They hardly ever become famous, because that is not where their joy comes from. They enjoy the process and the final product. And artists (especially modern artists) need validation from the critics and the richer public (because there is no objective way to measure

I have no choice but to be agnostic

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I was reviewing some calculus (at 60 years old? why? a long story) and it suddenly struck me that the derivative of  y = x-cubed and all the calculus like it is amazing: The 3 comes down in front of the x and the same three is replaced by a power one less powerful. How come it is so simple, clean and elegant? And some people think that maths is a human invention, but the fact that derivatives are useful and complete and accurate in the real physical world proves (to me) that maths is not a human invention. The world follows their laws. And if humans had not invented calculus the physical world would carry on echoing the laws of calculus. For some reason this led me to think about theism and atheism, and that often they use the same arguments, really, in the end, when push comes to shove: Theist: God did it (whatever it is). Atheist: The universe exists because it does. Neither phrase, assertion, is satisfactory to me. So I have no choice but to be agnostic. Currently.

August Light

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It's August and the temperature here in Northern Italy has fallen a bit, now it rarely goes over 33°C during the day, but the heavy sticky sweaty humidity remains.  But early in the morning, from 05:30 to maybe 6:30 there is a slight chill in the air, and in those hours there is the strange spirit to the August light. The atmosphere is strange and interesting. I sit on the balcony drinking tea with the cat nearby. Who knows where he has been during the night? Another mystery.

The Medici Wedding and Bonnie Raitt

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By chance, on my desk, in a corner, these two CDs were next to each other, and it struck me as an interesting final image. I love both CDs.

Cooks should not be allowed anywhere near strawberries

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Cooks should not be allowed anywhere near strawberries, because cooks cook . And cooking destroys everything wonderful about strawberries. Strawberries do not need sugar. Or lemon juice. Or liquor. Or ice cream. Or cream.  Strawberries just need to be washed and tasted.  Each strawberry should be tasted on its own, in isolation, to get the full loveliness and mystery of the taste.