TheVat

What do you think of universal grammar theories, which hold that aspects of our language, like syntax and certain concepts of relation and space, are innate in humans? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_grammar To me, "abstract" is a better term than digital to describe human language. We compress things, reduce them to an abstraction, a symbol set, which can convey quite a bit of continuous experience. We say "I went hiking in the Spring," and that stands for quite a complex and rich experience. We hear "the postman rang," and we immediately grasp that the postman did not turn herself into a bell-like device, but rather that she was making her rounds and stopped at the house, and rang the doorbell, in order to make a special delivery which required a signature. Abstraction and compression seems to be at the heart of our language. And the brain that does language is a composite of both analog and digital operations, so it gets confusing if we describe large-scale cognitive activities as being one or the other. https://news.yale.edu/2006/04/12/brain-communicates-analog-and-digital-modes-simultaneously

Three guys walk into a bar. A witness on the sidewalk says, "ouch, that must have hurt!"

Heh. I don't think that's what Chomsky meant by Universal Grammar. Seems to conflate laws of nature with concepts that are hardwired in some biological entities. (that old Kantian a priori stuff) Langan, a former bar bouncer with little formal education, seems to do this kind of projection a lot. Seems to me that people have semantics, but the universe has only syntax. Like entropic arrow of time. https://ctmucommunity.org/wiki/Cognitive-Theoretic_Model_of_the_Universe

They know some of the properties it DOESN'T have, which is what is relevant to my comment. If it were able to condense into complex molecular structures, then it would do things like scatter light and other interactions that would make it more visible to us. The main candidate for DM are non baryonic weakly interacting particles. You may find wiki helpful on this, if you are interested.

Maslow's famous pyramid, with more basic needs at the bottom, is sometimes a useful tool in studying what people care about.

Dark matter is not something you can make biological systems out of. If it were, it would just be... ordinary baryonic matter. I agree that octopi are a lower probability configuration for developing space technology. Was just saying there are exotic configurations we won't anticipate out there. Chinese SF master Liu Cixin comes to mind, in his novella "Mountain." (In his imaginative Wandering Earth collection).

Yes, I was speaking more broadly and longterm for sure. And lifestyle changes like wool sweaters and slippers are notoriously difficult to promote, even when it's sold as patriotic. But businesses could start measures right away to wean off Gazprom gas, and at least make a dent. How warm does your office need to be at night? I've heard commercial use of energy has a ton of waste.

Sounds like one good way to give Russia a kick in the pants is for everyone burning their Gazprom NG to put layers on and turn thermostats down. And push legislators to subsidize windmills etc. to the max. And maybe push the next generation of safer nukes. (I feel the spent fuel problem is solvable, but then it may be the tarnished rep of nuke power is past saving). Reduce the Shirtless One's war chest.

Yep. Anything with a brain and some selective pressure towards articulated appendages is a candidate to become a techno-species, seems like. Haven't looked in for a while, surprised at some of the entrenchment here. Jeez, we only have a single data point on what a technological creature can be like.

Maybe. Kazakhstan, by a wide margin, is the world's leading source of uranium. The Russians might have found a means to interfere there. In any case, to paraphrase Chris Hitchens, ideology poisons everything. Don't most riders prefer their horses to be shirtless?

If I'm following MigL on this, he seems to say that if there is a public safety matter, the government shouldn't mess around and should instead just mandate vaccines. As with seatbelts, wearing shoes in public indoor places (iirc, this was because of hookworms originally), polio, etc. I would agree. With charging added fees, you might discourage someone going in for some important treatment, and it would somewhat violate the spirit of universal healthcare. In essence, it is punishing people for being gullible with regard to social media conspiracy theorists. Maybe better to penalize them for breaking the law up front - that's often more persuasive.

I gave a couple upvotes to downvoted posts, but decided it was off-topic so removed mention of that. I've already given my reasons, a while back, in a feedback thread, on why I'm not wild about downvoting. Back to topic: In any case, I look forward to @MigL reply to my question, "Would you have preferred raising your children in a society where polio vax shots were optional?" and hope he can speak freely without accruing DVs.

I found this article, but it seemed to be written as clickbait and didn't give any information on Belk's professional credentials or any reaction from other astrophysicists. Belk is a contributor at Quora, and Belk's post there seems to be the article's only source. https://www.ibtimes.com/how-supernova-nearby-star-would-destroy-earth-2873490 Another poster, at Quora, a Jan Cernonorsky, with a PhD in astrophysics from the U of Amsterdam, disputed Belk's scenario... It's the fifth reply on this page... https://sciencehiddenfacts.quora.com/If-the-Sirius-B-star-supernovaed-would-Earth-be-harmed

MAGGA! Make Ambient Germs Great Again!

How would you shield them from cosmic rays and solar proton events? On earth, we have a magnetic field and atmosphere to shield us. We get around 0.4 mSv (millisieverts) annually, compared to 150 in LEO, and 400-2000 in deep space. Not a good situation for any longterm residents. Given Mars lack of magnetosphere, surface dwellers would also have to deal with this, which could make musculoskeletal atrophy look like a fairly minor problem.

Citizens being asked not to spread contagion is a centuries old practice that has been done in almost every culture. We expect poor citizens to drive with headlights on, and fine them the same as the affluent. Some laws are about critical matters of public safety and nothing new ideologically. Would you have preferred raising your children in a society where polio vax shots were optional? Think about this carefully. To the recent downvoter: Please tell me the nature of your disagreement, instead of downvoting anonymously. I will accord you the same respect. Regards, Paul

Was only a Python-ish jest. From the OP's take on argument.

Important is an adjective that takes on meaning when it references the particular perspective of the speaker and their values. There is no objective benchmark of importance. Important is a word best followed by "to." If, for example, someone believes that consciousness and abstract reasoning is the finest product of the universe so far, then sentient species like ours would be seen as important. If, otoh, someone believes that the beauty of walnuts is the pinnacle of creation and of highest value, then humans might be seen as of lesser importance. Indeed, for them, a sentient creature who does not contemplate the beauty of the walnut, or serve the walnut, is of little value. And I see it's time for a snack.

No it wouldn't!

Plus one. And where are these floors that generate such hypervigilance? Unless you are keeping livestock in the house or have birds flying freely around or are running some kind of sickroom where bodily fluids are getting on the floor, I can't see what the fuss is about. Our immune systems are built to handle most bacteria that land on household surfaces and there have been studies that excessive disinfecting can lead to immune problems later. It is true that cats can shed toxoplasmosis cysts, but it's also true that most cat lovers have been exposed throughout their lives, carry some inactive cysts in their tissues, and are never troubled by them. The germophobia, especially in America, has gotten way out of hand. And it's been linked with increasing rates of immune and allergic problems in children and younger adults. The stuff that the plastic bottle leaches into its contents should be of far more concern. Ditto one-serving frozen meals that are boiled in a plastic dish in a microwave. That's what people should be avoiding.

Is it just me, or is this doing it the hard way. Many sail configurations can give some advantage, as pulleys and other types of leverage do when they concentrate a force, and thus allow a sailed vehicle like a boat to exceed the windspeed. Look up racing yachts. If this can happen on water, it seems like it could happen on land with a large efficient sail and wheels with low rolling resistance and a smooth surface. This method also skips over conversion problems where you convert a mechanical force into an electrical one, which is bound to be lossy.

Heh. You will have to consult the eminent areologist, Sir Elton John. In any case, I remain an advocate of terraforming Earth...

And retroviruses, which do inject RNA into a host cell and alter that cell's genome, don't transmit easily unless there is more intimate contact, so your cellular makeup is probably safe. The bigger concern, obviously, are virus particles carried in airborne droplets (aerosols) from someone who has covid. Even if vaxxed, you can get an unpleasant illness. And then give it to someone who is vulnerable. If you are interested in particles that transfer by means of surfaces in the office, you might google fomites to learn more.

Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids In fact it's cold as hell...

I think civilizations got into trouble when knowledge was seen purely as a commodity, something to foster "productivity" in cold calculations of investment and return. An amoral capitalist approach does not really reckon with the natural curiosity and love of connecting with others and the mystery of the larger world that is the real driver of learning. We seek to understand our world, and other people, and what we should do in our lives - education systems that don't focus on this will always become petri dishes of cynical calculation. People will plagiarize when they are no longer able to love knowledge as a vibrant human activity with intrinsic value outside of a marketplace.