Reflecting on the General Theory of Relativity [III]

Reflecting on the General Theory of Relativity [II]

Reflecting on the General Theory of Relativity [I]

There is no quality in this world that is not what it is

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What it is ... is always what it is.

But it exists precisely because of its contrast: that is, there is also what it is not.

Right.

Be no one and no one to no one

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To be no one to no one ... is always to be someone to someone.

It is actually impossible to be no one, except to no one.

Right.

Whatever comes along comes along

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And whatever doesn't come along doesn't come along.

At least for now, for whatever doesn't come along may come along later on.

Then again, whatever doesn't come along may never come along.

There, right there, is life.

Pantene tells women "Don't let labels hold you back!"

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world, mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen

Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world, mad world

Enlarging your world
Mad world

Mad World, by Tears for Fears

It's a mad world indeed that fundamentally the same behavior is lauded among men and decried among women.  There is an opportunity, there is support, and there is a choice, so the latter don't have to suffer misguided stereotypes.  Pantene does its part.

Microsoft rocks girls doing science

7 out of 10 girls are interested in science. Only 2 out of 10 will pursue it as a career. Let’s change that. Through the voices of these girls, we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History month. We support the bright young women who participated in this project and all girls who share our belief in the empowering nature of science and technology. 

Microsoft is committed to creating opportunities for all youth. DigiGirlz is a Microsoft YouthSpark program that gives girls the opportunity to learn about careers in tech.

I just finished watching one of my favorite science fiction films - Contact (1997) - starring Jodie Foster as Dr. Ellie Arroway.  Fortunately, her father warmly nurtured a love for science in her, since she was a little girl, and this steered her passion into a career.  Mind you, she faced her fair share of doubt, dismissal and discrimination.  For instance, David Drumlin cut off her funding, then years later as her work actually bore remarkable fruit, he nosed himself deftly in and swiftly spoke on her behalf with government officials and the media.

Anyway, the world needs many more people like Ellie's father, and much fewer like Drumlin, and Microsoft is playing its part.

Venus tells the story of "&"

Show “or” the door-this is the story of “&”. The story of realizing your true potential. 

Put an end to the one-dimensional labels that limit your potential. Because you are beautiful AND smart. You can be an astronaut AND a soccer player AND a ballerina. Your life is composed of many ANDs – an empowering sum of all of the things you are, and all you want to be. Venus invites you and women everywhere to take a stand against one-dimensional labels. #UseYourAnd

So people may acknowledge a quality, a passion, an aptitude of yours.  But you are much more than that quality, passion or aptitude.  You can be geekish and stylish at the same time.  You can love physics, and still believe in God.  You can be analytic and logical, yet creative and intuitive, too.

Dove prompts women to reflect on their choices

Would you describe yourself as beautiful? In our latest film Choose Beautiful, we travel to San Francisco, Shanghai, Delhi, London and Sao Paulo to prove that beauty is a choice – and the power of this choice is in your hands.

To me, the main thrust of this social experiment is not that every woman approaching these building must go through the Beautiful door.  But simpler, more fundamental than that, it encourages every woman to be mindful of what she chooses and to understand what makes her choose whatever it is she chooses.  Such self reflection can, I believe, alter not just her choices but also her mindset, her outlook, her self-esteem or self-image.

Always redefines what #LikeAGirl means

Join Always in our epic battle to keep girls' confidence high during puberty and beyond. Using #LikeAGirl as an insult is a hard knock against any adolescent girl. And since the rest of puberty's really no picnic either, it's easy to see what a huge impact it can have on a girl's self-confidence.

Making a start by showing them that doing things #LikeAGirl is an awesome thing! 

"In my work as a documentarian, I have witnessed the confidence crisis among girls and the negative impact of stereotypes first-hand," said Lauren Greenfield, filmmaker and director of the #LikeAGirl video. "When the words 'like a girl' are used to mean something bad, it is profoundly disempowering. I am proud to partner with Always to shed light on how this simple phrase can have a significant and long-lasting impact on girls and women. I am excited to be a part of the movement to redefine 'like a girl' into a positive affirmation." 

So tell us... what do YOU do #LikeAGirl?

It's clear that both boys and girls can have very demeaning, stereotypical notions of what it means to do something like a girl.  So while I often hesitate to make sweeping generalizations about the state of affairs for a Western society like the US, there is something pervasive, pernicious perhaps about what's been built into its culture and how that culture shapes the minds and behavior of our young people.

So, as my daughter Eva Krevchuck-Villejo argues persuasively and powerfully in her article - Like a Lady?  Like a Boss! - we must keep at our efforts to redefine what it means to be girl and alter those demeaning stereotypes.

Like a Lady? Like a Boss! by Eva Krevchuck-Villejo

As a child, I spent a great deal of time with my grandma. From learning new line dances, to going on adventures at the neighborhood park, to attending monthly Filipino friend parties, she did not fail to entertain me. Almost as devout as Mary Magdalene, my grandma dragged me along to the weekly worship service, one of the less exciting activities included in my “Grandma time.” As much as Mass meant worship, it also meant socializing with elderly people, catching up on the latest Church gossip, and eating donuts after the service. While I found ways to keep myself occupied, my grandmother’s rules of conduct at Church bothered me. I was to act as “lady-like” as possible. Sit up straight. Pull hair back neatly. Speak politely. Keep my shirt tucked in. Wear my expensive dress. Blush when people complimented me. These were my grandma’s expectations for me when in public, and I was to follow them without question.

As I grew older, I stopped acting like an obedient puppy and doubted these rules. Why did having a tidy appearance, wearing over-priced clothing, and keeping my thoughts to myself classify me as a lady? In my high school world history class, I learned that historically, a lady was a woman of affluence and power. Because the term originated around 1200 C.E., a time when social class was critical to Medieval Europe, society believed that a woman who looked sophisticated and acted modestly was fit for nobility. Although “aristocrat” and “lady” both describe women who exhibit courtesy and elegance, the two titles have clear distinctions. An aristocrat holds a superior status through wealth, education, or social prestige, but a lady uses whatever gifts she has to benefit others because she recognizes her duty to society. Queen Elizabeth I, wearing ornate dresses, speaking decorously, and basking in her political supremacy, ascribed to the preceding title. But with all due respect for Her Greatness, one would expect that 500 years would cause this obsolete idea of lady to lose influence.

Sadly, this image has not entirely faded over the years. Today, some countries have allowed a distorted concept of a lady to influence federal law and modern culture. These societies, smug in their patriarchal systems and infrastructures, place little value in women beyond their appearance or classic, domestic roles. However, through passing restrictive laws on women’s basic rights, foreign governments overlook what women might accomplish if they are allowed to step over societal boundaries. As a testament to the potential of young women, Malala Yousafzai has defied the oppressive expectations of a lady in Pakistan and instead has been her own version of a lady; along the way, she became a Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for women’s education and human rights. Malala has proven that teenage girls who come from diverse social backgrounds and are unafraid to stand against injustice and lady-like standards can evoke national, even global change.

While the United States may not be as restrictive of women as certain foreign countries, many Americans berate themselves and their sisters, nieces, or granddaughters for unlady-like behavior. Girls have been taught that a “good little lady” is one remains quiet, humble, and submissive to elders or males in her life. By encouraging unnecessarily restrained behavior, however, adults are actually doing more harm than help; they are teaching young girls to believe in the inferiority of their gender. What might this belittling concept of a lady mean in the grander scheme of the world? To start, we may be missing out on valuable ideas that could contribute to the social, political, and economic progression of our world. If certain societies did not associate the idea of a lady with powerlessness, we might even have solutions to several global issues. The world is constantly changing with new beliefs, standards, and styles; thus, girls should not be limited from growing to their full potential.

As well as diminutiveness, females are taught that physical attractiveness will make them more desirable and successful. Television commercials, magazine advertisements, and radio spiels promote products and services that can bless women with a desirable figure, covetable wardrobe, lengthy eyelashes, or perfect smile. With a slogan of “Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline,” Maybelline swears that it can help women achieve beauty even if they are not naturally good-looking. Weight Watchers, a company that provides top-notch health counseling, insists that their weight loss program leads participants to prosperity. In a world in which girls are constantly told that passivity and beauty are essential, society pressures young women to conform to a historic, objectifying image of a lady. However, physical appearance and expected behavior should not be the deal-breaker. When a woman is taught that looks alone will help her to achieve their goals, she can forget about the more substantive characteristics of a lady, a woman who has an inquisitive mind, honesty in words and in actions, confidence in individuality and ideas, and a dedication to doing what is right.

Because society does not often teach that a lady is multidimensional, girls should see real women who exhibit these characteristics of a lady. Emma Watson, the actress who played Hermione Granger in the famous Harry Potter series, is as a role model for young girls. She has made education trendy as she attended Brown University, and she does not hesitate, as seen through her campaigns for LGBT, female, and humanitarian rights, to stand for what she believes in. Watson is the epitome of what it means to be a lady; her success, intelligence, and kindness have allowed her to make significant changes in the way the world views women. In the older generation of ladies, Aung San Suu Kyi is a supporter of peaceful demonstrations, a proponent of civil disobedience, and the President of Burma’s National League for Democracy. Suu KYi has used her outspoken personality and passion for equality to promote a democratic government and society. The list of laudable women could continue ad infinitum, and girls should undoubtedly learn from them. Most importantly, though, girls should understand that they can be influential ladies too. If she can, so can I!

Those who are quick to put down the multifaceted interpretation of a lady fail to realize how powerful this type of woman is. It is not to say that women cannot love expensive clothing or have a quiet personality, but women should realize that they are more than a Lily Pulitzer dress, polite manners, or an affluent upbringing. We must stop telling our daughters, nieces, granddaughters, and ourselves to hold our tongues; instead, we must believe in how broad the horizons of our potential are. We must respect all ladies so that we continue to support one another, have courage to speak our minds, and contribute to the world. Our world is changing, so we must encourage each other not to accept the traditional, degrading “act like a lady” nonsense. We must remember that there is much to celebrate about being a female, a woman, and a lady.

Risks 

In my first paragraph, I included multiple fragments that emphasized how degrading my grandma’s expectations of “lady-like conduct” were. These rules made me feel like a dog that was obeying commands. 

I used an anaphora in the last paragraph with the repetition of the words “we must.” My hope was to convey a sense of urgency in the idea that young girls need to feel empowered.

Audience

I addressed my intended audience by including examples of contemporary, well-known women who fit my definition of a lady. I used the narration in my introductory paragraphs to share a story that hopefully teenage girls can relate to if they have been told at some point to “act like a lady.” In the ending paragraph, I use an anaphora by repeating the words “we must”; this repetition was meant to empower teenage girls and show them that I stand with them.

Model of a Brain-Machine Interface - avatar

A monkey that controls a robot with its thoughts. No, really.

In a more complicated interface, a monkey learns to control an avatar.

Speaking of "Avatar"

Model of a Brain-Machine Interface - robot

A monkey that controls a robot with its thoughts. No, really.

This is the model of a Brain-Machine Interface which allows a monkey - undoubtedly a person, in the future - to control, say, a mechanical device with its thoughts.

A monkey controls a robot and an avatar with its brain

Can we use our brains to directly control machines - without requiring a body as the middleman? Miguel Nicolelis talks through an astonishing experiment, in which a clever monkey in the US learns to control a monkey avatar, and then a robot arm in Japan, purely with its thoughts. The research has big implications for quadraplegic people - and maybe for all of us.

Our sense of self does not end at the last layer of our bodies, but it ends at the last layer of electrons of the tool that we're commanding with our brains.

~Miguel Nicolelis

Neuroscientist

How much to understand a problem and its solution?

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I love the challenge of solving problems, and I'm not fazed by complexity.  So I would like to know about problems I hadn't known before, and I would like to understand how others solve them.  However, for some of us, the most important thing is that a problem is solved - never mind who, what or how.

Examine your approach for solving a problem

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Solving a problem may require a reverse, a reciprocal, or a root of the way in which it occurred.  Or it may require an entirely different approach to solve.

Spend sufficient time grasping the problem

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Herr Professor is right: We probably don't spend enough time grasping what the problem really is.  In fact, some of us are way too quick and glib at offering advice, direction and solutions.

Complex geometry of Islamic design

In Islamic culture, geometric design is everywhere: you can find it in mosques, madrasas, palaces, and private homes. And despite the remarkable complexity of these designs, they can be created with just a compass to draw circles and a ruler to make lines within them.

Future steps from recent detection of gravitational waves

Research scientist Gabriela González, PhD at Louisiana State University explains that one of the future steps from the recent detection of gravitational waves is to study the massive curvature of spacetime around a black hole.

Scientists detect gravitational waves!

 

Two naive questions from a non-physicist: (a) The fact is, the earth isn't "sitting" still in space, but actually hurtling at approximately 66,6000 MPH. So is it possible that the squeezing and stretching of the earth, which scientists observe, somehow comes from its massive speed around the sun? (b) If indeed gravitational waves behave in an undulation, then the force that presumably "holds" us to the ground should somehow undulate, too, no?

A dog solves a problem effectively

Solving a problem requires that we recognize, intuitively and-or analytically, that one approach isn't quite working and that a wholly different approach is warranted.

A 7-step process for solving problems

When you treat a complex problem like a simple one, you're likely to get caught in a loop, where every solution creates another problem.

1. Definition
2. Data Collection
3. Cause Analysis
4. Solution Planning and Implementation
5. Evaluation of Effects
6. Standardization 
7. Evaluation of Process

Reference: Part 2 - Every Problem has a Solution

Working backward to solve problems

Imagine where you want to be someday. Now, how did you get there? Retrograde analysis is a style of problem solving where you work backwards from the endgame you want. It can help you win at chess -- or solve a problem in real life.

(a) We can work through a problem or situation backward, in order to solve it. For example, as Maurice Ashley suggests, reading a sentence backward can help us spot mistakes. Or (b) we can begin with the end in mind, such as visualizing a future where we've actually achieved a goal, then working backward to where we are in the present, so as to map out the pathways to realizing that vision.

The TED-Ed description is (b), while Ashley's talk is more focused on (a).

Reference:  Part 3 - Dealing with Everyday Exigencies.

How does mental practice improve sports performance?

Both physical practice and mental training improve sports performance, for instance, with more accurate tennis serves and hockey shots.

How does playing Tetris reduce PTSD symptoms?

Perhaps, as with many things we do, the positive effects aren't so linear: For example, playing Tetris can certainly help reduce symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, like flashbacks, but playing it excessively may be counter-effective.

How can we remember so many faces?

According to the face space model, we can remember numerous faces because we store code in our brain, not visual memory.

Do men and women have different brains?

There are structural differences in the brain for men and women, but in general both are the same functionally. The differences seem more to do with social-psychological-cultural influences.

Do objects and sounds warp our perception?

How objects move and how sounds intensify tell our brain whether there is a threat, and they may alter our perception and experience of time as a consequence.

Is Google killing our memory?

What we already know, what we've already learned, what we remember in any given moment are all critical, when we have to make complex, split-second decisions.

Underlying Motives that Drive Procrastination

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Reference: What are the psychological origins of procrastination?

While the explanations in this article make really good sense - i.e. procrastination has roots in what we value, what we believe, and what we are keen to do - there may also be underlying, not-so-apparent, maybe unconscious motives or emotions that drive procrastination.

So for each of us, or for those we may be trying to help, we must vet these explanations vis-a-vis a self-reflection, self-exploration, or self-discovery about what is truly underlying ours or others' difficulties to get things done.

This requires suspending, to begin with, the assumption, judgment or conclusion that it is something as pejorative as procrastination. Our mind, body and spirit may be telling us that what we're trying to do is meaningless and that our meaning or purpose lies somewhere else.

And this may not be so logical or rational!

Brain Capacity for Change

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On the one hand, this:

Although it took several decades, Merzenich and Bach-y-Rita were to help prove that Cajal and the scientific consensus were wrong. The adult brain was plastic. It could rewire itself, sometimes radically.

On the other hand, this, too:

It’s perhaps understandable why crazy levels of hope are raised when people read tales of apparently miraculous recovery from brain injury that feature people seeing again, hearing again, walking again and so on. These dramatic accounts can make it sound as ifanything is possible.

~Will Storr
The brain's miracle superpowers of improvement

So while our brain capacity for change or growth is far from zero, it is not infinite, either.

Tripartite Model: "What is art?"

The Tripartite Model reframe of the perennial question "What is art?"

First, I argue that it's actually multiple questions, not simply one:

Rational | analytical, logical, quantitative

How do you define art? What is the nature of art? What are its characteristics? How do you create art?

Non-rational | creative, intuitive, qualitative

How do you experience art? What does art mean to you personally? What emotions does art evoke in you?

Meta-rational | spiritual, philosophical, metaphysical

What is the purpose of art? What does art even exist? How does God, religion, or transcendence figure into art?

Second, I argue that each of us contributes to answering the multi-faceted question of "What is art?" and that only as a collective can we truly find its equally multi-faceted answer.

Theory of Knowledge: What is art?

What is art?

It's that question that often preoccupies me, not just in viewing all sorts of artwork in front of me, but also in creating whatever sort of art catches my fancy.

In this mini-lecture, the speaker identifies three aspects or parameters of what is art:

(1) The intentionality of the artist
(2) The quality of the art, the skill of the artist
(3) The response of the audience

It's a thoughtful, engaging little lecture, one where the speaker offers his viewpoints to us yet also asks us numerous questions.

Ra Paulette shapes New Mexico sandstone

Lee Cowan: "Do you think you're obsessed with cave digging?" 

Ra Paulette: "Would you call a child being obsessed with play?"

Jen Jen Reynolds posted the above video and the following notes:

In the high desert of Northern New Mexico, you can hear the sounds of a man entranced in his work underground in a cave. You will see a small entry that opens into a cavern, where Ra Paulette has spent the last 25 years carving New Mexico’s sandstone into magnificent art. He’s spent years doing this work with the company of only his dog. 

When asked if he is a man obsessed with cave digging, he gives the really thoughtful response: “Is a child obsessed with play?” He waxes on to say, that when you love what you are doing, you are driven to do it all the time. He sees his majestic pieces as environmental projects; his goal is to inspire people such that they open up emotionally, in response to the enormity and power of what his carvings evoke. 

It can be said that he has created magic in the underground caves that he has carved. They are at once intimate and overwhelming. Interestingly, Ra doesn’t see himself as an artist, but simply as a man expressing his sense of wonder in a passionate way. I would beg to differ with his opinion that he is not an artist. What he has created, is livable art of unbelievable power. 

The video you are about to watch tells the rest of his story, and gives you a tour of his magnificent caves. Unbelievably, his work had no notoriety until a filmmaker asked to do a documentary about Ra. Called “Cave Digger”, the film ended up winning an academy award! Please share your reactions to this story of peaceful man who’s purpose was a dedication to his craft. I can guarantee that you are about to view something you have never seen before.

I was taken by how Ra Paulette had dedicated his life to art:

I used to love rock-climbing, because I loved the feel of the mountain on my hands and fingers. It was a way to get intimate with it. That's also how I see Paulette's love for what he does: just his hands, and some low-tech or non-tech tools, and the sandstone. In a way the question about obsession was silly and dense.

Then, it's overwhelming in that his work is literally towering, even otherworldly - maybe a scene from one of the "Alien" films. Overwhelming in that he has devoted years and years of his life to his art; and I do hope he has more than plenty of life left to finish his magnum opus!

Finally, I bet he and Georgia O'Keeffe would've gotten along famously, maybe even become lovers. She, too, loved the New Mexico landscape.

Sonmi-451 on Knowledge, Death and Life