Man Cave

 One of the amazing things about being with Sarah

 is that for the first time in my life, I have a man cave.  I grew up in the world of father knows best, where father passed his time in the living room surrounded by playful children and optionally, a wife or Uncle Charley.  Thankfully, such was not to be my fate, in later life at least. 

What is life?

You should watch the video What is Life with Paul Nurse (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92oMfkuOIlA). ('What is Life?' is hereafter known as the question).  It is the perfect reductionist introduction to the question.  I propose a more holistic yet mathematical (scientific) viewpoint. 

As Nurse points out, the reductionist approach to the question relies on   QM to understand the minutiae of the chemistry and computation upon which life relies.  We now understand the hardware of life at the finest levels.  The reductionist analysis supplies the base on which we build an  enumerable model of life. 

We consider a discrete (enumerable) model whose elements (nodes) are the 4D subsets of spacetime, living volumes, that are life. The elements are organized into a dag whose directed edges reflect ancestry, containment and time. The dag induces a decomposition of 'spacetime contained in life'. This enumerable model has a natural physical representation in 4D space and a rich natural geometry; it suggests a myriad of new inquiries into the question:

1. What properties characterize living volumes.
2. How are living volumes embedded within non-living volumes.

Containment and inheritance induce a partial order and metric on these subsets. These metrics, of course, originate in spacetime itself, but as has been the case many times, alternative coordinate systems can offer new understandings.

Natural modes of this model could naturally be interpreted as emergent properties .

Words have no meaning only interpretations

The law is many things.

It is a digital probe into humanity.  

... a discrete constraint on behavior in a continuous world.  

... the way we settle disputes without extra-legal violence.

... a marker of our progress on the road to civilization.  

My god

There are many solutions to the cosmic equation and God may be part of some but not of mine, other than as that which unifies us all with each other with other creatures and with the world . if this is God then I am a believer .

Framed Bubble Sculptures

From the wikipedia page on Calculus of Variations

Plateau's problem requires finding a surface of minimal area that spans a given contour in space: a solution can often be found by dipping a frame in a solution of soap suds. Although such experiments are relatively easy to perform, their mathematical interpretation is far from simple: there may be more than one locally minimizing surface, and they may have non-trivial topology.  

(Consider the many worlds interpretation of QM)  In different worlds (or on different dips) we find a variety of framed bubble sculptures.  (Engineering issues aside)  Could the realized configuration be interpreted as a reflection of a path through the many worlds.   The bubble sculptures themselves are an emergent phenomenon.  Could the realized configuration be a function of inherently random quantum fluctuations.  

Can Trump do what Trump has done?

Armed thugs are in cities around the country.  Trump has brought our Iron Boot home.  He has made the need for choice clear.    Can Trump do what Trump has done?  He has sent armed goons into cities around the country. 

Localities have complained and the courts have sided with Trump, so far.  There will, of course be places where the courts disagree, perhaps in CA, perhaps in NY.  Trump might choose to obey the court or not. 

If Trump obeys that court, it goes to the Supremes.

If the Supremes support Trump, I expect no election.

If they don't support Trump, he will rail against the Supremes (who will bask in their 'independence'), continue vilifying democrats and widely denying access in the many Republican controlled states, might manage an electoral victory.

If he looses, ask the military.  

A night's discovery

It is hot and humid here. My phone claims not, but my body is. Hot and humid. My cave is a garret and my water two floors down. I am old and thirsty and it is not close. I walk down the stairs, religiously holding banisters, one left and one right. One does not want to end a heap on the floor. As I return to the batfry, the hairs rise on my arms and I think not my lover's ex-husbands ghost returned but static electricity. As I drag my damp hands along the wooden banisters I accumulate quite a charge, realizing it gave me quite a charge as well.