My general opinions about mathematics are that it is tedious, i don't have the instinct for it, and that some computer should really be able to do it for me. Generally I get the feeling it's a commonly hated on discipline. Well I've survived some 'higher level' (multivariable calculus) math and I've got to say I didn't enjoy it but at least it exposed me to some fascinating math concepts. One of those is the fractal .
from wiki-
A geometric pattern that has the property of self similarity; that is to say it is infinite. Natural objects that approximate fractals to a degree include clouds, mountain ranges, lightning bolts, coastlines, and snow flakes.
This website allows you to explore a specific fractal called the Mandelbrot set. Of course there are complex equations to describe the pattern that we observe but as a casual mathemetician I'd prefer to marvel at the beauty of the concept. It'll be another thing to appreciate next time I'm at the shore! Also if you take a look at the Seirpinski triangle , it sort of reminds me of the Triforce from the zelda games. I actually think that the Gameboy color version of Zelda: 'Link's Awakening' may be based on that somehow. I think he wakes ups and realizes that he's dreaming so it's like a world inside of a world.
also check out this Mandelbrot video that someone made
If you liked what you saw you should take a look at the entire NEAVE site. It is the most stellar example of the qualities i've come to appreciate in a website. It is interactive, entertaining, and informational. The whole thing was a stimulating experience. I was delighted to find that I could immediately locate the bay area from a fair distance in 'Flash Earth.'
That is all.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
have you thought about what you want to happen to you after you're dead?
I mean besides going to heaven and meeting a bunch of hot guys/girls to spend eternity fucking or something (i don't know. i'm not well educated on faith, what is heaven?) what do you have planned for your afterlife?
and even besides that, what do you want done with your body? It may seem out of line for me to ask this of a young and lively person such as yourself. But really, who can say for certain when death will come upon you? it might loom over you, and take you slowly, or maybe you won't ever know it's there. sometimes it's sure and swift, others fickle. your fate is the same whatever your way of going will be. you'll lose your 21 grams and breathe your last breath. So think about what will happen to your body. I enjoin you to do so saying this because i think it's in your best interest. death can be terrifying, with such large uncertainties. Ultimately there's not avoiding it. death = inevitable
First there is the tombstone option. if i had one i might want it to look like this . (credit toPaul Snowden and thanks. this photo motivated the post) but really that is the last thing i want. Ideally, I would like to be dumped into the ocean to be used as nutrients by whatever might happen upon my rich and labile flesh. Perhaps in a favorite ocean spot of mine. Right now i'm pretty sure it'd have to be in the Monterey Bay. i'm not even sure that will change as time goes on but i hope to get intimate with many more oceanside locales. ANYWAY, i'm not even sure that's legal so i guess i'll settle for being creamated on. or could i just be buried somewhere without marking? whatever way allows my nutrients to be passed on. burning is not ideal, but I feel comfortable with my certainty of knowing at this time. A contradiction in what i previously stated and know to be true. is this me imagining my own invincibility? they say a lot of young people are affected by feeling that way. or it could just be me knowing what's important and what's not.
more about death though, why all the agony over it if it's inevitable to everyone. I would prefer to treat it as more of a natural thing, find a different way to mourn. and stop putting people in boxes everywhere underground. I'd rather be spread all over than six feet under. oh damn maybe a new thing to do (on a hefty mental list of things to do) should be to make things for people to remember me by when i die. but not something stupid. lol. something charming but a bit messed up. but i'm pretty sure i'd want that to be decomposable too if left to nature.
by the way, I think now would be a good time to mention that the work I do, and things i learn about, biogeochemical cycling, asks us to carefully examine the ways certain molecules and elements are utilized throughout living, nonliving and detrital (organic waste) phases of chemical cycling. so i think it's really important to recognize those pathways of nutrient transfer and respect them. Truthfully I had my mind set on this years before i began learning about biogeochemical cycling, but it's all appropriately relevant and even delightful to think about. I try to tell people and remind my mother every once and a while so that someone remembers. I don't think that i'll be any particularly special or large contribution to an environment but the organisms will make the best of my death just like i do my best to with this life.
lastly I'll say that i've yet to have any close encounters with death myself or with the people i love and even like. I have a lot to learn and my words may be shaken with what i endure. i know i am just beginning to develop a secure perspective on death.
Most importantly, preparing for and thinking about death for yourself is something important i believe you should take time to think about. i also thought it was important to talk about how i feel because... i'm really into people sharing their personal experiences and viewpoints. but... not really for a long time if you're stupid. (certainly a blog topic all of its own)
SO thanks for reading <3
it's now 4:09 am. i've got insomnia and stayed up all night writing about death.
i had to laugh as i was finally getting to the end of this because i remembered a period when vince would always promise to write people essays on things he feels he should prove, and i also been in a few discussions with him about this. he said something like, "someone should make a chart of IQ v. time spent thinking about death" well we were both too lazy to actually do it.. point being- it's real. it's relevant. does this count as my "i'll write you an essay...."?
and even besides that, what do you want done with your body? It may seem out of line for me to ask this of a young and lively person such as yourself. But really, who can say for certain when death will come upon you? it might loom over you, and take you slowly, or maybe you won't ever know it's there. sometimes it's sure and swift, others fickle. your fate is the same whatever your way of going will be. you'll lose your 21 grams and breathe your last breath. So think about what will happen to your body. I enjoin you to do so saying this because i think it's in your best interest. death can be terrifying, with such large uncertainties. Ultimately there's not avoiding it. death = inevitable
First there is the tombstone option. if i had one i might want it to look like this . (credit toPaul Snowden and thanks. this photo motivated the post) but really that is the last thing i want. Ideally, I would like to be dumped into the ocean to be used as nutrients by whatever might happen upon my rich and labile flesh. Perhaps in a favorite ocean spot of mine. Right now i'm pretty sure it'd have to be in the Monterey Bay. i'm not even sure that will change as time goes on but i hope to get intimate with many more oceanside locales. ANYWAY, i'm not even sure that's legal so i guess i'll settle for being creamated on. or could i just be buried somewhere without marking? whatever way allows my nutrients to be passed on. burning is not ideal, but I feel comfortable with my certainty of knowing at this time. A contradiction in what i previously stated and know to be true. is this me imagining my own invincibility? they say a lot of young people are affected by feeling that way. or it could just be me knowing what's important and what's not.
more about death though, why all the agony over it if it's inevitable to everyone. I would prefer to treat it as more of a natural thing, find a different way to mourn. and stop putting people in boxes everywhere underground. I'd rather be spread all over than six feet under. oh damn maybe a new thing to do (on a hefty mental list of things to do) should be to make things for people to remember me by when i die. but not something stupid. lol. something charming but a bit messed up. but i'm pretty sure i'd want that to be decomposable too if left to nature.
by the way, I think now would be a good time to mention that the work I do, and things i learn about, biogeochemical cycling, asks us to carefully examine the ways certain molecules and elements are utilized throughout living, nonliving and detrital (organic waste) phases of chemical cycling. so i think it's really important to recognize those pathways of nutrient transfer and respect them. Truthfully I had my mind set on this years before i began learning about biogeochemical cycling, but it's all appropriately relevant and even delightful to think about. I try to tell people and remind my mother every once and a while so that someone remembers. I don't think that i'll be any particularly special or large contribution to an environment but the organisms will make the best of my death just like i do my best to with this life.
lastly I'll say that i've yet to have any close encounters with death myself or with the people i love and even like. I have a lot to learn and my words may be shaken with what i endure. i know i am just beginning to develop a secure perspective on death.
Most importantly, preparing for and thinking about death for yourself is something important i believe you should take time to think about. i also thought it was important to talk about how i feel because... i'm really into people sharing their personal experiences and viewpoints. but... not really for a long time if you're stupid. (certainly a blog topic all of its own)
SO thanks for reading <3
it's now 4:09 am. i've got insomnia and stayed up all night writing about death.
i had to laugh as i was finally getting to the end of this because i remembered a period when vince would always promise to write people essays on things he feels he should prove, and i also been in a few discussions with him about this. he said something like, "someone should make a chart of IQ v. time spent thinking about death" well we were both too lazy to actually do it.. point being- it's real. it's relevant. does this count as my "i'll write you an essay...."?
i <3 bad things
today i found out that I LOVE BAD THINGS . I don't know who runs this blog, there are a lot of creative people that make it happen, and I have really enjoyed browsing around it in my first hour of being enlightened of its existence. check it out if you wanna spend some time dreaming of ways to spend money and time. it is hellza tight. and sexy.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
the preindustrial average pH of the ocean is 8.2
The average observed pH of the ocean today is closer to 8.1. Though this may seem like a small difference we must keep in mind that as long as the processes that caused this change are continuing to grow in quantity and impact, and when it comes to environmental parameters a small change can have a large affect on the health of an ecosystem.
I'm considering doing a string of informational pieces on science and the environment. One of the things I'd really like to be able to work on within this blog is being able to communicate scientific theories to non scientists. for now I'm going to post an article that I think does a good job conveying the ideas and even contains an interesting study of one of the diverse environments on earth. The article covers ocean acidification and its predicted effect on corals and all other shell forming organisms. The problem is that with rising pH the solubility of the carbonates in the water increases(or more 'dissolving power' damages skeletons), meaning the skeletons of calcareous organisms will just dissolve.
Ocean acidification is an issue I am interested in learning about because it will have a significant impact on phytoplankton community dynamics. In other words the supply of "grasses of the sea" will change. This evolution would in turn have a drastic effect on the community dynamics of everything that feeds on it. And as I've already touched on, with the current rates of extinction, we don't want to be putting any more species in peril. In some regards biodiversity, or the depth of variation in species types, in a given environment can be viewed as a proxy for ecosystem health.
in closing i'd like to show what I think is a really good example of why we should save the ocean.
It's not like the ocean will disappear, but if we keep living in ways that have taxing effects on global biogeochemical cycles then the experience of the moment that was captured in this picture will become rare or perhaps extinct. So with such beauty abundant in nature around us take a moment to reconnect with something you think of as wild or nature. I would say that feeling of awe at the beauty of nature or Gaia (and i mean in the totally geeky way of how i appreciate how beautiful the system is as a complex arrangement of ingredients) it is one of the purest pleasures in life.
I'm considering doing a string of informational pieces on science and the environment. One of the things I'd really like to be able to work on within this blog is being able to communicate scientific theories to non scientists. for now I'm going to post an article that I think does a good job conveying the ideas and even contains an interesting study of one of the diverse environments on earth. The article covers ocean acidification and its predicted effect on corals and all other shell forming organisms. The problem is that with rising pH the solubility of the carbonates in the water increases(or more 'dissolving power' damages skeletons), meaning the skeletons of calcareous organisms will just dissolve.
Ocean acidification is an issue I am interested in learning about because it will have a significant impact on phytoplankton community dynamics. In other words the supply of "grasses of the sea" will change. This evolution would in turn have a drastic effect on the community dynamics of everything that feeds on it. And as I've already touched on, with the current rates of extinction, we don't want to be putting any more species in peril. In some regards biodiversity, or the depth of variation in species types, in a given environment can be viewed as a proxy for ecosystem health.
in closing i'd like to show what I think is a really good example of why we should save the ocean.
It's not like the ocean will disappear, but if we keep living in ways that have taxing effects on global biogeochemical cycles then the experience of the moment that was captured in this picture will become rare or perhaps extinct. So with such beauty abundant in nature around us take a moment to reconnect with something you think of as wild or nature. I would say that feeling of awe at the beauty of nature or Gaia (and i mean in the totally geeky way of how i appreciate how beautiful the system is as a complex arrangement of ingredients) it is one of the purest pleasures in life.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
RATATAT
FRIDAY night was Ratatat at the catalyst! Despite my five year residency in Santa Cruz, this is the first time I have ever been to this venue and I have come to find I've been missing out! The venue was fun with reasonable stage visibilty (i.e. i wish i was taller sometimes)
Ratatat is just two dudes from New York, but they really knew how to do their job well. This is something that I have learned to hope for in a band. When you go to a show people want to be entertained, not just by the music. A real live experience. And to deliver this band brought their own light show, surreal videos, and an all star set. It certainly was a different scene than when I saw them five years ago in the Kresge Town Hall; Ratatat hella blew up. And for a good reason. they're consistent, have a nice electronic grooviness, and they know how to rock. They're signed on XL recordings and have released three full length albums with that label in addition to putting out two self released remix albums. Here's a single from their most recent album:
a little more about the show experience. I jumped and danced and sweated and at the end of the night i was tired, wet, and I would say that my mind had been sufficiently blown. I went with some good friends, and saw so many more familiar faces there, it was very fun to have familiar people to enjoy the show with. At one point in the show a dude who was dancing nearby grabbed me and said "i like your glasses!! THE COOLEST PEOPLE IN SANTA CRUZ ARE HERE TONIGHT AND YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!" and all i could say was "WOOO!" but lol it was a little ego boosting i guess, and i think he was on drugs but the exchange really also embodied the adrenaline and excitement of the event. I wonder if I'll get tired of shows after my young adult days. or maybe be too embarassed to go when I get older? and develop old fogey ways? who knows. for now, yay music. what a stimulating experience, I feel alive.
pics or it didn't happen.
Ratatat is just two dudes from New York, but they really knew how to do their job well. This is something that I have learned to hope for in a band. When you go to a show people want to be entertained, not just by the music. A real live experience. And to deliver this band brought their own light show, surreal videos, and an all star set. It certainly was a different scene than when I saw them five years ago in the Kresge Town Hall; Ratatat hella blew up. And for a good reason. they're consistent, have a nice electronic grooviness, and they know how to rock. They're signed on XL recordings and have released three full length albums with that label in addition to putting out two self released remix albums. Here's a single from their most recent album:
a little more about the show experience. I jumped and danced and sweated and at the end of the night i was tired, wet, and I would say that my mind had been sufficiently blown. I went with some good friends, and saw so many more familiar faces there, it was very fun to have familiar people to enjoy the show with. At one point in the show a dude who was dancing nearby grabbed me and said "i like your glasses!! THE COOLEST PEOPLE IN SANTA CRUZ ARE HERE TONIGHT AND YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!" and all i could say was "WOOO!" but lol it was a little ego boosting i guess, and i think he was on drugs but the exchange really also embodied the adrenaline and excitement of the event. I wonder if I'll get tired of shows after my young adult days. or maybe be too embarassed to go when I get older? and develop old fogey ways? who knows. for now, yay music. what a stimulating experience, I feel alive.
pics or it didn't happen.
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