31 January 2025

The Mad King and tariffs

Huge mistake not to have removed the unilateral power of the president to impose tariffs while we had the chance. (Hard to think of a power more clearly intended to fall in the Article I power of Congress). Now, along with a myriad of other disasters, we will have to live with the consequences, at least until somebody convinces the Mad King that this isn't working out for him (which is all he cares about). I am so sick of this already. Starting to think about moving to a democratic country (since ours no longer is, but probably that train's left the station already!)

But, anyway, to make the point: if (not when) power is restored to a democratically elected government in this country, among the first agenda items should be sharply curtail all or nearly all of the foolishly-endowed emergency presidential powers which are in statutes, not the Constitution. Congress has for far too long ceded far too much of its power ot the Presidency, in unforced errors of monumental proportions. Tariffs being only one instance. And now that the Right Wing Supreme Court has removed much of the ability of agencies to impose regulations, Congress will need to step up and enhance its staffing to draft the regulations necessary to properly govern and regulate commerce and the environment through actual language attached to the statutes, not relying on provisions the court may permit future would be dictators to just ignore. We've got a big mess to clean up, if we ever get the chance. 

30 January 2025

IG says hell no!, escorted out of office by cops

We need more of this. It has to be blatantly obvious that there is absolutely nothing normal about what is happening in our country. 



...................................................................................................
All Goodness there is makes but one demand of us: that we love one another with all our hearts and without exception. When the People keep this commandment, all falls into place: there is peace; there is plenty; there is happiness; and wisdom ranges far and wide in the world.

—Tardig of Escondaria, 3648 CE

29 January 2025

This is how democracy dies

It appears there's pretty good basis for optimism that through special elections it will be possible to take Democratic control of the House before the next General Election, maybe even as soon as this year. The real problem is that there's also every indication that the Trump presidency, including his far-right technocrats, aren't that worried. They obviously intend to govern more or less without Congress. They will simply issue edicts. Their model, explicitly, is the Kafkaesque "illiberal democracy" (actually non-democracy) of Viktor Orban in Hungary. 

Already, they have illegally usurped the power of appropriation and civil service protections; even attempting to fire federal commisioners without any statutory authority at all (EEOC most recently). And until people in their own party start developing the courage to say 'No! You cannot do this!'... they will do it, and we, the people, who did not vote for this (even most of those of us who voted for him), will be powerless to stop them. This is how democracy dies, and we cannot ignore it. There will be many ordeals, many tests, and if the already established tendency to simply hunker down and ignore what is happening continues, we will fail them. If we fail to resist, even at great cost to ourselves, dictatorship will succeed. We are warned. We cannot claim ignorance.

Who will stop him ?

Courts.... even Republican dominated courts... have long consistently ruled that the president does not have the power to impound Congressional appropriations. (Reagan tried it). Now Trump is doing it, and doesn't seem too worried about getting away with it. We have to ask ourselves, what next? He obviously believes himself to be all but entirely unconstrained by the Constitution or anything else. Just like a certain dictator of the first half of the 20th century whose name began with 'H'. Where will it stop? Nobody knows. But I know this. He will not stop until we stop him.  

28 January 2025

Galling beyond belief

We Democrats genuinely believe in fair elections, and have bent over backwards to show we accept the results of the 2024 election, after Trump lied his ass off about the 2020 election being "stolen." But what almost no one can bear to think, let alone say, is very probably the truth, based on careful analysis of the results: But for improperly purged likely Democratic voters and improperly challenged provisional ballots not counted, Harris would have won the election. And most likely we would have regained control of the House as well. Trump not only did not "win by a landslide," in all probability he did not legitimately win at all

Of course, we need to win elections by such huge margins that this kind of thing just can't happen, but since this may very well mean the end of democracy in our country for a long, long time, it is beyond galling to think that the election was, after all, in fact, stolen. There is literally no chance of overturning the election; we will just have to live with this outcome and hope and pray we are able to retain a functioning representative democracy long enough to ensure a different result in the future. Democracy simply cannot endure when one side lies, cheats, and steals elections, all the while accusing the other of what they have done. 

See this (Thom Hartmann YT channel)

Exhausting

It's incredibly exhausting just hearing a list of all the foolish, hateful, stupid, racist, short sighted, mean spirited, and destructive things the Menace and his minions are doing. It seems to be almost all bad, and almost as bad as you can imagine, short of outright Hitler style totalitarianism. Gonna be a LOONG four years. But, well, you can't be this awful and people don't notice. Many of these things are going to hurt ordinary, tuned-out people who voted for Trump because they believed his lies and were and are predisposed to a lot of the racist and exclusivist message. No excuses, but people will see what's happening. When it starts to hurt them, and he continues to spew hatred and lack of empathy even towards them and people they care about. That is how it works. If we survive with fair elections more or less intact (big if), we will see a fundamental change. Some little sliver of hope. 

Plus, he's old, sick, demented, and might die. Seriously. J.D. Vance is also really, really bad, but he's not as reactive and just plain stupid. Plus he has the charisma of a toad. So, there's that, too. 


...................................................................................................
All Goodness there is makes but one demand of us: that we love one another with all our hearts and without exception. When the People keep this commandment, all falls into place: there is peace; there is plenty; there is happiness; and wisdom ranges far and wide in the world.

—Tardig of Escondaria, 3648 CE

24 January 2025

A Chat With ChatGPT about word coinage and definition, and AI/bio collaboration implications

Orthochronometric and Nonorthochronometric film editing (a word I coined but ChatGPT defined, fairly well, after some prompting:

 Ah, I see! Using the terms "orthochronometric/nonorthochronometric" in that context provides an intriguing way to describe editing practices:

  • Orthochronometric film editing would then describe maintaining a continuous and linear flow of time using footage, even if it involves combining clips from different takes. The key is that the edited sequence preserves a believable and uninterrupted progression of events, maintaining temporal continuity.
  • Nonorthochronometric film editing would involve more creatively splicing together clips from various takes or scenes that may not chronologically follow one another or even belong to the same temporal sequence. This approach can be used to create fantastical or magical sequences that defy conventional temporal logic, allowing for the depiction of events that are out of the ordinary or physically impossible in a seamless way.

This way of describing film editing captures a nuanced aspect of how editors can manipulate time to create various narrative effects or to enhance storytelling through visual means. It sounds like a useful set of terms for analyzing or discussing film techniques, especially when focusing on the artistic and technical aspects of creating a specific mood or narrative effect. Would these interpretations align with how you intended to use these terms? 

...

Me:

Quite well, actually, after a few narrowings of what I was driving at.

ChatGPT said:

ChatGPT

Great to hear that we're honing in on the concept you're exploring! If you plan to elaborate on these terms or use them in a specific analysis or project, it sounds like they could provide a valuable framework for discussing the creative choices in film editing. If you need further refinement or examples to illustrate these concepts, feel free to ask!


Me:

This brings me to an interesting series of ideas. Would a readily accessible, even cyber/neuro connected, AI that evolved from LLM potentially become not merely a repository of information and even a sort of enhanced visual memory, it could become a sort of partner in developing the implications of an idea, or even of an artistic image or musical conception? When you answered the question just now, I hadn't really thought about all the implications of 'nonchronometric film editing.' I was just trying to understand how a dog and cat YouTube video was probably made, as it depicted behavior that seemed quite unlikely in actual cats and dogs


...

CbatGPT

That’s an intriguing trajectory of thought. As AI technology, especially large language models and their offshoots, evolves, the potential for AI to act as more than just an informational tool but as a creative partner becomes increasingly plausible. Here are a few ways this could unfold:

  1. Idea Development: AI can assist in expanding initial ideas into fully fleshed-out concepts by suggesting possibilities that might not immediately occur to a human thinker. For example, your initial question about nonchronometric editing led to a broader exploration of its definitions and applications, illustrating how AI can facilitate deeper understanding and insight.

  2. Artistic Collaboration: In the realm of visual arts, AI can already generate images based on descriptive input, modify existing artwork, and even create new pieces from scratch. For film or music, AI can suggest edits, compose music, or simulate visual effects that would be complex or costly to produce physically. This could extend to creating entire narrative sequences or musical pieces that reflect a particular emotional tone or narrative direction.

  3. Cyber/Neuro Integration: Looking ahead, the integration of AI with cybernetic or neurological interfaces could enhance human cognitive processes directly, providing not just data, but real-time processing capabilities that expand both memory and cognitive speed. This could make it feasible to develop ideas or solve problems at speeds currently unimaginable.

  4. Ethical and Creative Implications: As these technologies develop, they also raise significant ethical and philosophical questions about the nature of creativity, authorship, and even human identity. As AI becomes more integrated into creative processes, distinguishing between human and machine-generated content and understanding the implications of this blending will be crucial.

The example of the unlikely dog and cat behavior in a YouTube video serves as a perfect illustration of how AI can help analyze and understand how such effects are achieved, potentially inspiring new ways to approach video editing or content creation. AI’s role as a partner in creative endeavors is rapidly moving from speculative to practical, promising exciting possibilities for artists, writers, musicians, and creators across many fields.

Resistance is not futile... it is absolutely necessary

We've been on a vacation in Mexico, ignoring most of the news, for the last couple of weeks. I intend to continue to keep the relentlessly negative news from this terrible time at bay, for my mental health (not ignore it, but keep it within bounds in terms of consuming my attention). I hope we will be able to continue to live a decent life, as law abiding citizens who have small-d democratic ideals and seek to bring about change peacefully and through civil processes. But it is already clear to me that, without what amounts to a (hopefully entirely peaceful) mass uprising, our country's whole character is on track to be totally transformed in a dark and ugly direction, probably irreversibly, at least for a long while. We are rapidly headed for actual no-kidding dictatorship and, more than likely, economic collapse. At least to some degree this will be unavoidable. But conscientious people must resist. We must stand up and denounce oppression, defend human rights, and refuse to "go along to get along." Any violence that occurs in this dark time will... must....come from the oppressors, not from the people. We must organize and practice nonviolent civil disobedience, as taught to us by Martin Luther King Jr, Gandhi, and, especially, by Gene Sharp, whose work needs to be much more widely known. He systematized a whole theory and practice of nonviolent resistance, and we will need all these tools, and need to know how to use them, because the time is now. 

This may not be Germany, 1933, but it could be, and it certainly is a time when everything we care about as a democracy-based society is at risk of total destruction at the hands of people who simply do not believe in democracy, and who intend to impose tyranny upon the people. They have all but stopped pretending otherwise, and actual Nazis like Elon Musk are among their ranks. I genuinely believe that only through massive lies taking advantage of the structural defects of our political system were they, much like Hitler in the 30s, able to barely get elected. Another lie they all tell, like some hellish chorus, but remember the truth: it was no landslide, but a bare plurality. Had the 17 million people (including a margin for population growth) who voted for Biden in 2020 but simply stayed home in 2024 not done so, but had turned out to vote, good people who were lulled into complacency and believing the torrent of lies they were deluged with, this wouldn't have happened, but this is how democracy works. As Goebbels himself said in the late 1920s... the democrats (small-d), swayed by vicious and evil propaganda, actually give them the power to end democracy. 

We
must have courage, like the students in Mexico City in 1968. With tears in my eyes I hope and pray that it does not come to that, but I fear it is likely. Courage!

Here is a good rundown of Gene Sharp's brilliant "codification" of nonviolent civil disobedience:

  Gene Sharp's principles and practice of civil disobedience are grounded in his belief that power in a society derives from the consent of the governed and that nonviolent action can effectively withdraw that consent. Here's a brief summary of his key ideas:
 
* Nonviolent Action as a Method of Combat: Sharp views nonviolent action as a method of combat, akin to military warfare, but using psychological, social, economic, and political weapons instead of violence. This includes acts like protests, strikes, and non-cooperation.
* Strategic Planning: Sharp emphasizes the need for careful strategic planning in nonviolent movements. This involves analyzing the dictatorship or oppressive regime, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, and devising a strategy that targets these vulnerabilities.
* Concentration of Power: He argues that power in a society is not monolithic but rather dispersed among various pillars such as the military, police, civil servants, and cultural institutions. Effective nonviolent resistance seeks to undermine these pillars and shift their loyalty away from the regime.
* Methods of Nonviolent Action: Sharp catalogued 198 methods of nonviolent action, which he detailed in his book The Politics of Nonviolent Action. These methods range from symbolic protests like public speeches and displays of flags and symbols to more proactive strategies like sit-ins, strikes, and creating alternative institutions.
* Psychological Resilience: Nonviolent resistance often provokes repression from the status quo. Sharp argues for the psychological preparation of activists to endure suffering and repression without resorting to violence, thereby maintaining moral and strategic superiority.
* Political Jiu-Jitsu: This principle describes the dynamic where the nonviolent response to oppression can lead to political mistakes by the oppressors, which in turn erodes their power and legitimacy, and galvanizes public support for the resistance.
Sharp's work is focused on empowering oppressed populations with a methodology and tactics that allow them to effect change and resist tyranny without the use of violence, thereby reducing the destruction, casualties, and moral compromises associated with armed conflict.

We, the decent and pro-democratic people of the United States, whom I truly believe actually are the great majority of the people, must keep all this in mind, and simply not go along. We must strive to spread truth, and the importance of awareness and understanding of what is happening. We must identify and promote leaders from within our ranks who will actually do these things, and outsmart (that part's easy), and outwork those who would impose autocratic and oligarchic power upon us, against our will. We must resist any impetus to violence, but never give up, never give in, and do everything we can to maintain and restore democracy in our country. Again, my friends, Courage! 


 

22 January 2025

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde

 I should hope it goes without saying that it is the (gulp) president, and not Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, who should apologize. 

We cannot accept the end of democracy willingly

Friends, this is not a popular view even among Democrats, but I still think it's true. We went through a period around World War I when the possibility of real autocracy came to the fore, with the Espionage Act, etc. And for decades after the shameful compromise that ended Reconstruction we had a whole section of our country that was, in effect, an authoritarian state. But the turn to authoritarianism, towards legitimization of oligarchic control, towards the complete institutionalization of the disenfranchisement of much of the population, began with Ronald Reagan, and grew steadily worse under Republican and even Democratic administrations ever since. Biden represented a fairly strong attempt at reform, but the re-election of Trump has solidified a historical trend: the end of democracy in our country. Can we restore it? Yes, of course. Look at Argentina and Chile. But it will not happen without major sacrifice, and without far, far more courage and willingness to stand up and say No! than I see in our country right now. 

I still believe in the principles, and the great strength, of our small-r republican ideals. We must make reforms to ensure that they continue. But first and foremost, we must win over the hearts and minds of more of us, and we must be willing to stand up, to tell those who would just presume our compliance that we will not cooperate, we will not obey in advance, we will not follow orders that violate our Constitution and our conscience, even at great cost to ourselves. We must have the courage of our convictions, and really mean it. I hope it will be enough, but I am not sure. Please think long and hard about these things before you, as we all want to do, just "hunker down" and hope for the end of these dark times.  

I admit that it is easy for me to say this. I am not a teacher who might lose his job if he says that the 14th Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship, no matter what the autocrats say. That the Constitution does not give the power to the president to make laws or wage war. That releasing people who committed violence in an insurrection is an obvious abuse of the pardon power never intended by the framers of the Constitution. I am not a policeman being asked to commit illegal acts against our own people. I can just stay in my house and try to stay healthy and well. But we all must at the very least speak truth to power. 

Benjamin Franklin told someone that the 1789 convention had given us a republic, if we could keep it. Now we are the final test of whether we can, or not. Courage. 

20 January 2025

My letter to Tesla

Public Relations Officer

Tesla Motors

1 Tesla Road
Austin, TX 78725

 

To whom it may concern:

 

I am deeply distressed, as an American citizen and Tesla owner, by the disgraceful and unpatriotic behavior of Elon Musk, the company's CEO, in twice giving a Nazi salute during the Trump inauguration.

 

This conduct is deplorably unpatriotic and a slap in the face to the memory of hundreds of thousands of Americans who gave their lives in the most terrible war of human history to rid the Earth of the scourge of vile white supremacist and genocidal Nazism. To emulate the salute of the most evil regime in the entire history of our planet is completely inexcusable.

 

I join millions and millions of Americans and I am sure many hundreds of thousands of Tesla owners in demanding the expulsion of this vile man from the governance of your company.

 

It will probably cost many of us a great deal, and undermine what we had believed to be an investment in a better, carbon-free future, but I can assure you that many owners of these vehicles will be disposing of them if strong action to repudiate this inexcusable conduct is not taken, and soon. Of course, failing such action, those of us with a conscience will never again make any purchase to support any business associated with Musk. There can be no redemption from such an extreme gesture in support of genocide, racism, and everything that America is supposed to stand against. 


Sincerely,

 

David Studhalter

For today

I wanted to say something positive, on this particular day, especially, when I will be scrupulously avoiding live media coverage of all news (we're on vacation). I couldn't hope to come up with anything better than this, from the estimable Heather Cox Richardson. 
 

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You hear sometimes, now that we know the sordid details of the lives of some of our leading figures, that America has no heroes left.

When I was writing a book about the Wounded Knee Massacre, where heroism was pretty thin on the ground, I gave that a lot of thought. And I came to believe that heroism is neither being perfect, nor doing something spectacular. In fact, it's just the opposite: it's regular, flawed human beings choosing to put others before themselves, even at great cost, even if no one will ever know, even as they realize the walls might be closing in around them.

It means sitting down the night before D-Day and writing a letter praising the troops and taking all the blame for the next day's failure upon yourself in case things went wrong, as General Dwight D. Eisenhower did.

It means writing in your diary that you "still believe that people are really good at heart," even while you are hiding in an attic from the men who are soon going to kill you, as Anne Frank did.

It means signing your name to the bottom of the Declaration of Independence in bold print, even though you know you are signing your own death warrant should the British capture you, as John Hancock did.

It means defending your people's right to practice a religion you don't share, even though you know you are becoming a dangerously visible target, as Sitting Bull did.

Sometimes it just means sitting down, even when you are told to stand up, as Rosa Parks did.

None of those people woke up one morning and said to themselves that they were about to do something heroic. It's just that when they had to, they did what was right.

On April 3, 1968, the night before the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by a white supremacist, he gave a speech in support of sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. Since 1966, King had tried to broaden the Civil Rights Movement for racial equality into a larger movement for economic justice. He joined the sanitation workers in Memphis, who were on strike after years of bad pay and such dangerous conditions that two men had been crushed to death in garbage compactors.

After his friend Ralph Abernathy introduced him to the crowd, King had something to say about heroes: "As I listened to Ralph Abernathy and his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought about myself, I wondered who he was talking about."

Dr. King told the audience that if God had let him choose any era in which to live, he would have chosen the one in which he had landed. "Now, that's a strange statement to make," King went on, "because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around…. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars." Dr. King said that he felt blessed to live in an era when people had finally woken up and were working together for freedom and economic justice.

He knew he was in danger as he worked for a racially and economically just America. "I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter…because I've been to the mountaintop…. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life…. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!"

People are wrong to say that we have no heroes left.

Just as they have always been, they are all around us, choosing to do the right thing, no matter what.

Wishing you all a day of peace for Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025.

Notes:

Dr. King's final speech:

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/martin-luther-kings-final-speech-ive-mountaintop-full/story?id=18872817



All that is good makes but one demand of us: that we love one another with all our hearts and without exception. When the People keep this commandment, all falls into place: there is peace; there is plenty; there is happiness; and wisdom ranges far and wide in the world.
—Tardig of Escondaria, 3648 CE.

16 January 2025

A slap in the face

We are trying not to pay attention to the political situation in our country while we are in Mexico. I felt I had to say to our tour guide today that my heart sinks for what is happening in the US. And that I feel deeply ashamed that the Trump people failed to invite Presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum to the Inauguration next week. Possibly because she might well have refused to go, but nonetheless. It is a slap in the face to one of our most important allies. 


All that is good makes but one demand of us: that we love one another with all our hearts and without exception. When the People keep this commandment, all falls into place: there is peace; there is plenty; there is happiness; and wisdom ranges far and wide in the world.
—Tardig of Escondaria, 3648 CE.

11 January 2025

A little statement of principles

I strongly believe in democracy as the only legitimate governance system, and in universal human rights. At least in theory, by and large, the US has been a force for these things for the last 80 years or so, despite failings and setbacks. Clearly we are now headed in the wrong direction. But equally important are the principles that (1) government must be free of corruption. Zero tolerance. And (2) that universally available high-standards education must be publicly supported. In both of these respects, the US has declined and is headed, apparently, for rapid further decline. To those of us who grew up believing in an ideal of America, this is extremely disheartening.

I point to Singapore as a counterexample of these last two "pillars." In that small country, democracy and human rights have taken a back seat, but in the areas of education and zero tolerance for public corruption, their system proves that these principles are also vital to the health and wealth of a society. (You have to pay your public officials very well, but tolerate no corruption whatsoever). 

May we learn from this, and return to governance that makes each of these pillars of good government to be of paramount importance once again. We're going to have a long way to go to rise from these ashes, but, as Timothy Snyder says, we must imagine, and always work towards, a better America. We must never give up. We must never condone or comply in advance with arbitrary authority, with repression, with corruption, or with tolerance of lies and willful ignorance. We must consider these pillars a bare minimum. A floor, from which a prosperous and healthy society must be built. It is those of us who believe in these ideals who must, in actuality, make America great again. Nothing less should be considered acceptable, much less patriotic. 

10 January 2025

What might (almost) have been

  • Message from you, An alignment of the stars not likely to be repeated in our lifetime., Friday, January 10 2025, 2:56 PM.

Baby Girl

In case anyone cares, here's my capsule review of Baby Girl. Well acted, sensual, loved the casual attitude towards outlaw sexuality and interesting take on BDSM psychology, but, as a gay man, wow, way, way too much soft core straight porn. (My partner is less put out). Porn has its place, but "mainstream" movies maybe isn't it. 

08 January 2025

Traveler woes... princess problems

I guess I've become an encrusted curmudgeon, but man is it a pain in the ass to enroll to be "travel ready" on an airline phone app (scanning passport, entering all kinds of information and paying for extra bags in advance, etc.... unlike most apps and websites, it was unable to auto-fill saved credit card info., for example). I've always thought I was a little more tech savvy than most people my age (71 going on 72), but this was a genuine hassle. Flying and traveling has become a lot more hassle and less fun than it used to be. 

06 January 2025

Fear of unforced catastrophe in the Good ol' USA

It's extremely frustrating that what amounts to mass delusion and ignorant reflexivity have given us a narrowly elected disruptor in chief right when the US is actually enjoying one of its halcyon periods. As Heather Cox Richardson points out today, even with the wealth inequality crisis, the climate crisis, and other serious challenges, the US economy is doing the best it has in this century, we have no military involvement of US troops in any foreign war, we are energy self-sufficient, and domestic crime, violence, and even overdose deaths are all down. As we prepare to invest the mad would-be emperor this month, I fear that we are about to throw all of this away. We still have many geographic advantages and tremendous resources, but it's just so hard to watch us blowing it all for the whims of an actual no-kidding madman. 

There is widespread belief among his cult followers that we are in the midst of some kind of economic and political hellscape, but, to the extent we are failing to realize our potential, it's mostly caused by them and the far right demagogues who take advantage of them and promote massive false propaganda to influence them in order to retain power and inordinate wealth to a tiny elite that just plain doesn't support democracy. They believe we are being undermined by hordes of immigrants, when the truth is that immigration by and large makes the rest of us richer and makes our economy stronger and more efficient. But we live in a time when there is no agreed upon truth, which may indeed be our greatest failing and the greatest threat to our prosperity and perseverance. 

If you're religious, please pray for our country, and regardless may we all pull together and weather this storm, and learn from it. Assuming we get that chance, which I'm afraid is no certainty. 

02 January 2025

A day of mourning on the 20th?

Brad and I will be out of the country on the 20th, visiting the Valley of Mexico. Otherwise, I would probably stay indoors and have a quiet day of mourning, because I am pretty pessimistic about the short term future of my country. It feels like a death. And as a man in his 70s, there is only a short term future as far as I'm concerned. 2024 pretty much sucked for us, personally as well as in terms of public life, and this doesn't augur well for 2025, but we can try to pull out of it and make the best of it. Living 3000 miles from the locus should help make that a bit easier to accomplish. 

01 January 2025

Statistical laws of nature

I have discovered three additional statistical mechanics laws, to add to Boltzmann's S=kBlnW. They are best expressed in words:

When searching for a pencil, only pens can be found.
When searching for a permanent marker, only whiteboard markers can be found. 
When searching for staples or pins, only paper clips can be found. 

All three laws are perfectly commutative, if as little as an hour has passed. 

You're welcome, although you will find that while perfectly true, none of these laws is of any use. 


"Emotion, which is suffering, ceases to be suffering as soon as we form a clear and precise picture of it."
― Spinoza (Ethics)