tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47955039434451407722024-03-21T21:45:49.784-04:00William's NotesWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-47550026575443745512010-04-21T09:01:00.005-04:002010-04-21T09:54:27.422-04:00Objectivist Anniversary<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqKEg4QNKPTwPz9WmdFPUXl16OiTYd7hZtOGg_36qv_bWlyqzNfdsvLDMBwHjdfrKzEOalC5A2ORQ4K8FVjsZfKWgueqP2K7e_1OwgKFU-XNFX6K8b7wNbEJdRq8ZgwIzYs-h-lMqPpeS/s1600/img_0131.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqKEg4QNKPTwPz9WmdFPUXl16OiTYd7hZtOGg_36qv_bWlyqzNfdsvLDMBwHjdfrKzEOalC5A2ORQ4K8FVjsZfKWgueqP2K7e_1OwgKFU-XNFX6K8b7wNbEJdRq8ZgwIzYs-h-lMqPpeS/s320/img_0131.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462575890231977522" /></a><br /><br />This morning I decided to take a trip to <a href="http://parks.columbus.gov/Facility.aspx?id=25648">Mock Park</a> to watch the sun rise. It was a beautiful spring morning--mists rising from the slightly warmer waters, birds chirping sonorously in the trees, a faint, cool breeze blowing. I took <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=173794">photos</a>. I realized that it was just over a year ago there at that park that I came fully and firmly to the conclusion that Ayn Rand was right about <a href="http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=objectivism_intro">all the fundamentals</a> after eight years of equivocation, denial and partial acceptance on my part. <br /><br />Existence has total and absolute primacy over consciousness—our whims, wishes, wants, hopes, feelings and prayers do not in and of themselves produce any effect outside of our minds. Only through acting in body can we effect a result in the external world, including sustaining consciousness itself. Consciousness cannot exist disembodied.<br /><br />Identity and its corollary, causality, govern the universe. Causes originated by conscious action are a limited but important source of the multitude of effects we see. Effects originating from unconscious entities such as rocks, thunderstorms and planets are not "random" but causal. Attributing consciousness to the origin of every action is fallacious. Purpose and plan are concepts particular to the human need to think long-term in order to sustain our own lives. Immortality, if possible, would void the need for plan and purpose. <br /><br />Knowledge comes through an objective process of observation and reason, i.e. non-contradictory identification. All facts bear on life and thus make knowledge vital. Because I know only by my own choice, ultimately I must rely only on my own judgment to sustain my life. My life is precious to me, and that is what counts. All of the joy and value I find with and in others flows from this basic judgment of my own life. That is selfishness, and, yes, it is <a href="http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=objectivism_nonfiction_the_virtue_of_selfishness">a virtue</a>. <br /><br />Embracing identity, causality, primacy of existence, reason and selfishness in my life have led to many changes for me over the past year, but I am happier than ever. I feel no fundamental internal conflicts, which, though well-hidden, had plagued me for nearly two decades. I still have a significant hurdle to clear soon—graduate from the Ohio State physics doctoral program. This will continue to hinder my blogging, but I judged it important to reflect on and share my sentimental journey this morning.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-43839714289715538732009-09-11T18:10:00.009-04:002009-10-04T12:52:52.652-04:00Divorce and Coming OutTwo weeks ago (September 2, 2009), I decided to divorce my wife Laurie. The issue I had been grappling with long-term was my sexual orientation. At the beginning of this year (2009), I realized, through reflection on my life from adolescence to now, that I was gay, and I told Laurie. She was naturally quite disturbed, but I did my best to assure her through my actions and words that I was still committed to her. I honestly thought at the time that I could accept my natural attraction to men but trade it for the value of my marriage. I came to the conclusion that I was wrong. Sexual attraction is an essential component of romantic love, and romantic love is the proper foundation of marriage. So, in trying to foster romantic love with my wife while being unable to be sexually attracted to her (through no fault of hers), I was sustaining a contradiction at the root of my marriage relationship. However, I know that "a contradiction cannot be achieved in reality and that the attempt to achieve it can lead only to disaster and destruction."<sup>1</sup> Specifically, the disaster of being dishonest with myself and projecting a dishonest image of myself toward my wife and the rest of world. I also realized that I would never achieve happiness in my life by trying to diminish the importance of sexual attraction and fulfillment. I projected the consequence of this decision over my vision of my entire life, and I judged that the loss in ending my marriage was less than cost of the continued internal war with reality necessitated by discounting my nature. <br /><br />I think sexual matters should be private, but, due to the appearance that my marriage has given to anyone who knows or has known me, honesty demands that I make public my reasons for ending it. <br /><br />I appreciate all of the candid advice, probing questions and support from those with whom I have already spoken. I am happy to talk to anyone who wants to understand more than what I have written here. <br /><br />I also publicly acknowledge Laurie for her virtue throughout this ordeal. While she disagrees with my decision, she has worked with me extensively to move forward with our lives and to care for our children as best as possible under the circumstances. <br /><br />1. A. Rand, “The ‘Conflicts’ of Men’s Interests,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 51. (see <a href="http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/contradictions.html">Ayn Rand Lexicon: Contradictions</a>)<br /><br />Concretized date after checking a written reference (2009-10-04).Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-34528316122722839582009-07-24T08:15:00.004-04:002009-07-24T09:30:37.443-04:00The Grandeur of Man in the Morning TrafficMy morning commute by foot takes me over an interstate highway. This morning the sound of the vehicles whooshing underneath and the simultaneous gentle vibrations of the bridge gave me pause to consider the culmination of thought and action that allows men to travel from home to work miles apart each day. The automobile is a fusion of materials, energy production and electronics that transport individuals at their discretion in the utmost comfort they can afford. I envision the thousands of scientists, engineers and businessmen who studied the properties of the different components, brought them together in a design and tested them and then managed the mass production and marketing of the final result in competition with similar products to yield the wide array of vehicles I witnessed on the road today. <br /><br />My route to work also lies under a major flight path for the airport, and the distant roar of jet engines lifting airplanes thousands of feet into the air within minutes pricked my ears several times during my walk. I again pondered the study of gravity and aerodynamics, coupled with an understanding of materials, united in a design stringently tested for human beings to travel safely and comfortably at hundreds of miles per hour through a life-threatening, low-temperature, low-pressure environment. Such a marvel of human thought is obtainable to anyone with money via an electronic transfer on the Internet and an automobile trip to the airport. This wonder allows one's personal and business interests to stretch across a globe, rather than within the confines of where one can get by foot.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, given its lack of relevance to the modern American's personal transportation needs, I passed under a railroad bridge without a single thought as to its significance. Now, in retrospect, the railroad too is a testament to human thought and action, but, because it has lost import as a means of personal transportation, it comes less readily to my mind. <br /><br />All in all, the human mind and its products in action are grand. I am grateful to all rational men for their thoughtful endeavors, and the concrete results of their labors inspire my continued efforts to reason and to act in sustenance of my life.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-10680494434406501702009-04-18T08:35:00.011-04:002009-05-13T16:35:06.324-04:00How the Book of Mormon Addresses Atheism and My Response<a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4795503943445140772&postID=2542493901097467069">A comment my uncle made</a> about <a href="http://williamdparker.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-i-left-church-of-jesus-christ-of.html">me leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a> brought to mind how the Book of Mormon asserts belief in God. There is one chapter (<a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/30/">Alma, chapter 30</a>) that specifically address atheism. The character advocating atheism is a moral nihilist<sup>1</sup> and, it turns out, a theist in denial!<sup>2</sup> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Book of Mormon's argument for God</span><br /><br />First, there is a God because I "know" it,<sup>3</sup> implying that knowledge is intrinsically established in the consciousness, irrespective of the senses. Therefore, <a href="http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/primacy_of_existence_vs_primacy_of_consciousness.html">consciousness, not existence, has primacy</a> in deciding truth.<br /><br />Second, there is no "proof" that God does not exist.<sup>4</sup> The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burden_of_proof">burden of proof</a> always lies with the person denying an assertion.<br /><br />Third, "all things" are a "testimony" that God exists.<sup>5</sup> Even though, the consciousness establishes reality, irrespective of the senses, as a secondary confirmation, the majority of things that perceived through the senses have a nature that confirms the existence of God. <br /><br />Fourth, there is the "testimony" of "all the holy prophets",<sup>6</sup> that is, the authority of people who talk to perpetually-burning bushes or hear voices in their dreams, establishes the existence of a God. Note only the prophets that are "holy", i.e. whose claims match the correct one, provide "testimony". <br /><br />Finally, the rotation of the earth and the stability of the planets in our solar system definitely tell us there is a God.<sup>6</sup> Without God's power, objects with mass would not attract one another and find a stable configuration.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">My response</span><br /><br />Every point in this argument is wrong. <br /><br />Existence has primacy over consciousness. No one can change the identities of things in reality by power of their consciousness. In fact, the consciousness originates in the senses' perceptions of reality. Asserting that you "know" something is no argument. How do you know it? How do you justify the validity of the means by which you came to know it? <br /><br />The burden of proof lies on the person asserting the existence of something or some event, and the magnitude of proof necessary grows with the magnitude of the claim (does this make claims for an infinite being require infinite evidence, and hence impossible?). There is no proof that Siddhartha Gautama did not achieve Nirvana, that the angel Gabriel did not reveal the Qur'an to Muhammad, or that Vishnu does not pervade the universe. Yet each of these claims leads to contradictions if accepted in light of no proof against their occurrence. Shifting the burden of proof away from the positive claimant opens the door for all arbitrary claims. <br /><br />All things are a testimony for the law of <a href="http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/identity.html">identity</a> and for <a href="http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/causality.html">causality</a>. The law of identity is that every thing in the universe exists with a specific identity delineating it from everything else. Any thing in the universe (and therefore the universe itself as a sum total of all in it) is necessarily finite and delimited. The Book of Mormon asserts that God has "all wisdom, and all power"<sup>7</sup> and "infinite goodness",<sup>8-11</sup> but all things in nature are finite and delimited. Something with all power (able to manipulate anything) is unseen anywhere in nature. The Book of Mormon attributes all good to God.<sup>12</sup> Such a viewpoint contradicts causality and/or free will. If God is the cause of all good, but not all evil, then objects in reality act according to their identities (causality) except when God intervenes to cause good. Human beings act according to their decisions (free will) except when God intervenes to cause good, but all things testify to the law of identity and to causality. God would be a contradiction to those things, not testified of by those things.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_authority">Appealing to authority</a> is not a valid argument. Which people are authorities? By what means do you verify an authority's credentials? <br /><br />The stability of the solar system and the earth's rotation on its axis witness only to the universal laws governing the motion and interaction of objects and the particular identities of the objects involved. Achieving or maintaining such stability requires no external force, i.e. God. <br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objectivist_epistemology">A proper view of epistemology</a> goes a long way in clearing up these misconceptions. In contrast with the character presented in the Book of Mormon, I reject moral nihilism and advocate <a href="http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ari_ayn_rand_the_objectivist_ethics">an objective morality</a> to further human life on this earth.<br /><br />Update: Fixed link and typo.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">References</span><br /><br />1. Book of Mormon, Alma, Ch. 30, Verse 17. "[W]hatsoever a man did was no crime" (the context implies crime in the moral not legal sense).<br />2. <span style="font-style:italic;">Ibid.</span>, Verse 52. "I always knew that there was a God."<br />3. <span style="font-style:italic;">Ibid.</span>, Verse 39. "I say unto you, I know there is a God."<br />4. <span style="font-style:italic;">Ibid.</span>, Verse 40. "[W]hat evidence have ye that there is no God ...? ... [Y]e have none, save it be your word only."<br />5. <span style="font-style:italic;">Ibid.</span>, Verse 41. "I have all things as a testimony that these things are true."<br />6. <span style="font-style:italic;">Ibid.</span>, Verse 44. "[Y]e have the <br />testimony of ... all the holy prophets."<br />7. Book of Mormon, Mosiah, Ch. 4, Verse 9.<br />8. <span style="font-style:italic;">Ibid.</span>, 2 Nephi, Ch. 1, Verse 10.<br />9. <span style="font-style:italic;">Ibid.</span>, Mosiah, Ch. 5, Verse 3.<br />10. <span style="font-style:italic;">Ibid.</span>, Helaman, Ch. 12, Verse 1.<br />11. <span style="font-style:italic;">Ibid.</span>, Moroni, Ch. 8, Verse 3.<br />12. <span style="font-style:italic;">Ibid.</span>, Alma, Ch. 5, Verse 40. "[W]hatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil."Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-47811158146371316302009-04-16T09:30:00.006-04:002009-04-16T11:27:53.862-04:00What I Learned From Attending the Columbus Tax Day Tea Party<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrPSB4KLWu6r9zGMN4Ei8WG_qr7GL4nz-2v-z6RxlTgAnmwlVmpYJdNUdphP5fWat5pHTFyteHWezxqcgUs_OBbaX6bIaAe5GxDB1Leo_6R-EJFfUPi8kAoFwCzcnRA4rvqcqA0fcj8-V/s1600-h/P4150005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrPSB4KLWu6r9zGMN4Ei8WG_qr7GL4nz-2v-z6RxlTgAnmwlVmpYJdNUdphP5fWat5pHTFyteHWezxqcgUs_OBbaX6bIaAe5GxDB1Leo_6R-EJFfUPi8kAoFwCzcnRA4rvqcqA0fcj8-V/s320/P4150005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325287430001640402" /></a><br /><br />I went to the <a href="http://www.statehouse.state.oh.us/">Ohio Statehouse</a> last night to participate in the <a href="http://www.columbusteaparty.com/eventinfo/april15th.html">Columbus Tax Day Tea Party</a>. It was a collection of all sorts: libertarians, religionists, constitutionalists, conspiracy theorists, etc. The unifying sentiment, based on the messages on signs and the loudest cheers during the speeches, is opposition to expansive government spending. The broad non-partisan nature allowed me to attend without fear of endorsing something I disagree with. <br /><br />I went armed with the corpus of Ayn Rand’s works, flyers for <a href="http://www.theobjectivestandard.com/">the Objective Standard</a> and <a href="http://www.aynrand.org">the Ayn Rand Center</a> and a booklet, <a href="http://ohio.newintellectuals.org/?p=273">the Portable Objectivist</a>, assembled by <a href="http://ohio.newintellectuals.org/">the Ohio Objectivist Society</a> with permission of the authors for the purpose of distribution at Ohio tea parties. I vacillated on what message to put on a sign and let this indecision keep me from making a sign. I saw one "Who is John Galt?" sign, which quickly disappeared into the crowd. I realize now that some message would be better than no message. Also, being alone with all of my things kept me from circulating and looking for people who might be interested in talking about ideas. There were thousands in attendance, but I only had a conversation with the man standing next to me on the steps of the statehouse. The gentleman I spoke with said he had read <a href="http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=objectivism_fiction_atlas_shrugged">Atlas Shrugged</a> over 30 years ago and didn't remember much from it. His opinion is that the greater problems than taxation and inflation are the growth of government and the power lusting it promotes among politicians. I tried to explain to him that the widely-held view of ethics (altruism) is incompatible with limited government (capitalism) so that the government will necessarily grow in scope in order to satisfy altruism's moral imperative to put others before self. As government grows, power-lusters will naturally emerge to enforce the demands of altruism on those who still pursue the happiness of their individual lives. <br /><br />The speeches, at best, appealed to the wisdom of the Founding Fathers and concern for our families and children. While the Founding Fathers were revolutionarily wise and our children are important values, such appeals have failed to advance the cause of <a href="http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=arc_ayn_rand_man_rights">individual rights</a> over the past 100 years of growing tyranny. No speaker defended capitalism and <a href="http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=arc_ayn_rand_the_nature_of_government">limited government</a> on the grounds of self-interest. Such a philosophical grounding is necessary to effectively confront the continuing assault on our freedom.<br /><br />To summarize what I learned:<br /><ol><br /><li>Prepare a sign beforehand.</li><br /><li>Go with someone or pack lightly.</li><br /><li>Advocate <a href="http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ari_ayn_rand_the_objectivist_ethics">the ethics of egoism</a> as the only defensible grounds for capitalism</li><br /></ol><br /><br />Addendum: I am in the third photo of <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/audio_slideshows/2009/04/tea_party/index.html">the Columbus Dispatch's slide show on the tea party</a> (just right of center, standing on the second step, wearing a brown hat and khaki trenchcoat; my box of things is behind me one step up, but I hold no sign).Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-25424939010974670692009-04-08T20:24:00.007-04:002011-12-26T09:02:45.866-05:00Why I Left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOn Sunday, April 5, I called my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_(Latter_Day_Saints)">bishop</a> and informed him that I was leaving the church (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints">the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</a>). I drafted a formal letter requesting the removal of my name from the records of the church and mailed it the following day, April 6. This series of actions is the culmination of over a year and half of seeking a manifestation from God, i.e. evidence for the validity of the concept God or the concept spirit, after realizing in November 2007 that my belief in God was founded purely on feelings and thoughts, not grounded in any valid sensory <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percept">percepts</a>. I can say without reservation that I find no evidence for God or spirit(beyond the consciousness arising from the brain) and that feelings and imagination are not valid means of apprehending reality. <br /><br />My choice to leave the church is based on those experiences, failing to find manifestations of God or spirit by means that the church teaches – study of the scripture, pondering, fasting and prayer, participating in church activities and serving others. In the church, I find a collection of both true and arbitrary teachings and activities motivating the actions of a spectrum of people with varying mixtures of good and bad. No individual’s actions other than my own motivated my decisions. I did not leave to justify a specific behavior that contradicts the church’s teachings (a frequent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man">straw man</a> I think many members use to evade honest appraisal of their beliefs when someone leaves). I left with a clear conscience that I have tried the church’s methods on its own terms and failed to come to the same answers. <br /><br />The church teaches that, when its adherents feel the importance of the church's teachings, they will want to share it with others, yet they criticize the “apostate’s” desire to do the same, deriding it as “kicking against the pricks”. I have intentionally avoided so-called “anti-Mormon” writings because I wanted to be free from their influence in coming to conclusions and re-evaluate the church on its own terms. My main source of LDS-specific skeptical information comes simply from the <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org/">Wikipedia</a> and from <a href="http://en.fairmormon.org/Main_Page">apologist writings</a> at <a href="http://farms.byu.edu/">FARMS</a> or <a href="http://www.fairlds.org/webguide.html">FAIR</a>. I have consulted these sources only in an attempt to understand the evidence for facts avoided or glossed over in my Sunday school, seminary and institute classes. My objections to the church come from primarily <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemology">epistemological</a> grounds and very basic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics">metaphysical</a> issues, not the arcana of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Smith,_Jr.">Joseph Smith</a>'s life or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon">Book of Mormon</a>'s descriptions of pre-Columbian America. I may blog more specifically on my epistemological, metaphysical and ethical objections to church doctrine in the future. <br /><br />For working through the broader metaphysical and epistemological issues associated with theism, I am specifically grateful to the writings of <a href="http://bahnsenburner.blogspot.com/">Dawson Bethrick</a> and <a href="http://www.reocities.com/Athens/Sparta/1019/Thorn2.html">Anton Thorn</a> (both of whom do not know me). I also acknowledge <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayn_Rand">Ayn Rand</a> for developing and publishing <a href="http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=objectivism_essentials">a cogent philosophy for life on this earth</a>. I find Objectivism true in every regard that I understand and accept it as my personal philosophy for living. <br /><br />I do not deny the good that exists within the church nor that I have received many benefits from the actions of individuals in the church. Fundamentally, I would not exist without the church. My parents met through church-sponsored dances. My paternal grandparents met because my grandfather was a missionary for the church in England and my grandmother a member of the church there. My paternal grandfather’s ancestors and my maternal maternal great-grandparents all immigrated to the United States so that they could live among fellow church members. I met my wife through attending church meetings, and we only considered even dating because we were both members of the church. Personally, I learned the life-affirming virtues of honesty, integrity and self-reliance beginning from the church’s teachings. I also first learned from church doctrine that moral perfection is attainable, that all truth is related and that knowledge of the truth makes human progress possible. <br /><br />My exit from the church does not diminish my gratitude for my parents’ rearing nor the value that my wife, parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles and in-laws have been and are in my life, the majority of whom are active members of the church. I do not include my children in the list, even though they are great values to me, because they are not yet church members. By our agreement, my wife will continue to raise them in the church, acknowledging that they will attain full freedom of choice once they reach maturity and I will not conceal my understanding from them. My wife continues to love me, despite not supporting my decision to leave the church. I look forward to a life of continuing happiness based on living in full harmony with my understanding of reality.<br /><br />Update: Fixed links.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-13252226454167267842008-07-26T08:15:00.004-04:002008-07-26T08:42:54.294-04:00Gooseberry and Cinnamon Yogurt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjitVIiXaabTasqaCQEYC4wDgEqepiplAlxUVczzgHFf9OGUIXKEql38gs6lRfte0YHUDiL7p2BAx8GHQrNbqVSpgctEGUo7TBUiwozeX_hFS2aLPXXgUZj8EyLOo37eSauqRzeR1d9Qs_/s1600-h/Gooseberry_and_Cinnamon_Yog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjitVIiXaabTasqaCQEYC4wDgEqepiplAlxUVczzgHFf9OGUIXKEql38gs6lRfte0YHUDiL7p2BAx8GHQrNbqVSpgctEGUo7TBUiwozeX_hFS2aLPXXgUZj8EyLOo37eSauqRzeR1d9Qs_/s320/Gooseberry_and_Cinnamon_Yog.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227296215521861202" /></a><br />Inspired by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08z-wumItZI">a Catherine Tate sketch</a>, I created a gooseberry and cinnamon yogurt (with suggestion by Laurie and help acquiring gooseberry jam by Matt). With expired nonfat plain yogurt from <a href="http://aldi.us/">Aldi</a>, <a href="http://www.barryfarm.com/nutri_info/jams/gooseberryjam.html">gooseberry jam</a> from <a href="http://www.barryfarm.com/">Barry Farm</a> in western Ohio and Ceylon cinnamon from <a href="http://www.worldmarket.com/">World Market</a>, I concocted a surprisingly-tasty flavored yogurt. After smelling the jam, I was unsure of how it would taste, but mixed together it was creamy and tart, smooth and chunky with a subtle spice. Here is the rough recipe:<br /><ul><br /><li>1/2 cup plain yogurt</li><br /><li>2 tablespoons gooseberry jam</li><br /><li>1/4 teaspoon cinnamon</li><br /></ul><br />Makes about 1/2 cup. Mix together all ingredients and serve.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-44928704413702005102008-07-22T10:07:00.002-04:002008-07-22T11:31:35.033-04:00Notes on The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori, Ch.1-7I started reading <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Ej9HHAAACAAJ">the Absorbent Mind</a></span> by Maria Montessori yesterday. Her attention to the nature of life and human development as the basis for education is refreshingly impressive. I disagree with her statist views of government and her view of education as a servant of "society" (especially poignant having recently re-read Ayn Rand's <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.aynrandbookstore2.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AR11B">Capitalism: the Unknown Ideal</a></span>). <br /><br />From what I understand the primary idea of the Montessori Method (I haven't read that book yet) is that the education process derives from a child interacting with his environment. From Chapter 1, the Child's Part in World Reconstruction (p. 8, paragraph 1 in 1967 translation by Claude A. Claremont):<br /><blockquote>And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words, but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment. The teacher's task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child.</blockquote> <br />Reflecting back on my own education, it seems that most of what I learned was from interacting with books or my teachers or homework, not just listening to someone talk. I have little memory of those courses where I did mostly listening and little interacting.<br /><br />I appreciate Montessori's view of the child as having great potential and only needing its energies directed. From Chapter 3, the Periods of Growth (p. 28, paragraph 1):<br /><blockquote>The discovery that the child has a mind able to absorb on its own account produces a revolution in education. We can now understand easily why the first period in human development, in which character is formed, is the most important. At no other age has the child greater need of an intelligent help, and any obstacle that impedes his creative work will lessen the chance he has of achieving perfection. We should help the child, therefore, no longer because we think of him as a creature, puny and weak, but because he is endowed with great creative energies, which are of their nature so fragile as to need a loving and intelligent defense. To these <span style="font-style:italic;">energies</span> we want to bring help; not to the child, nor to his weakness. When we understand that the energies belong to an unconscious mind, which has to become conscious through work and through an experience of life gained in the world, we realize that the mind of the child in its infancy is different from ours, that we cannot reach it by verbal instruction, nor intervene directly in the process of its passing from the unconscious to the conscious -- the process of making human faculty -- then the whole concept of education changes. It becomes a matter of giving help to the child's life, to the psychological development of man. No longer is it just an enforced task of retaining our words and ideas. </blockquote><br />Education is the task of "giving help to the child's life, to the psychological development of man," and, from Chapter 7, the Spiritual Embryo (p. 72, paragraph 1):<br /><blockquote>The most important side of human development is the mental side. For man's movements have to be organized according to the guidance and dictation of his mental life. Intelligence is what distinguishes man from the animals, and the building up of his intelligence is the first thing to occur. Everything else waits upon this.</blockquote><br />The proper purpose of education is to cultivate the child's development of intelligence. This fact is dictated by the requirements of human nature. From Chapter 7, the Spiritual Embryo (p.75, paragraphs 5-7):<br /><blockquote>Only nature, which has established certain laws and determined the needs of the human being in course of development, can dictate the educational method to be followed; for this is settled by its aim -- to satisfy the needs and the laws of life.<br /><br />These laws, and these needs, the child himself must indicate by his spontaneous manifestations, and by his progress. His tranquility and happiness, the intensity of his efforts and the constancy of his freely chosen responses, bear witness to them.<br /><br />Our one duty is to learn from him on the spot, and to serve him, as best we can.</blockquote>Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-33975068727676608152007-09-29T15:12:00.001-04:002007-09-29T15:23:46.291-04:00Vanilla Creme SodaI was just craving a sweet soda but discovered we had only club soda and sparkling water so I improvised the following recipe:<br /><br />1 - 2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />1 ½ tablespoon sugar<br />1 ½ tablespoon non-dairy creamer (cream would probably do just as well)<br />½ cup club soda<br /><br />Mix extract, sugar and creamer with spoon until well blended. Add enough soda to dissolve the solids and stir until smooth. Add remaining soda and give a slight stir.<br /><br />I enjoyed the vanilla creaminess. There was still a lot of creamer not dissolved but I didn't want it any less creamier. The obvious solution is to prepare a creamy syrup, but that would require advance preparation and I don't know how well non-dairy creamer suspends in solution (though I know you can do it with real cream). In bubble tea shops, they use hot liquid to dissolve the powders and then mix in ice and the remaining liquid, using a shaking machine to get a smooth consistency. However, I fear that would shake out most of the carbonation, resulting in a flat soda.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-14837122856811857532007-08-23T01:54:00.000-04:002007-08-23T02:08:32.346-04:00Solar FarmingMy <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=587+Treeline+Dr,+Alpine,+UT+84004&daddr=2532+Castro+Valley+Blvd+Castro+Valley,+CA+to:4766+Lincoln+Ave+Oakland,+CA+to:Cross+Creek+Rd,+Santa+Rosa,+CA+to:2600+Corby+Ave+Santa+Rosa,+CA+to:Battle+Mountain,+NV+to:Austin,+NV+to:Ely,+NV+to:587+Treeline+Dr,+Alpine,+UT+84004+to:Monroe+Ct+Grand+Junction,+CO+to:51498+Highway+330+Mesa,+CO+to:Monroe+Ct,+Grand+Junction,+CO+81503+to:587+Treeline+Dr,+Alpine,+UT+84004&mrcr=11&mra=pi&sll=39.656456,-115.3125&sspn=7.254732,14.458008&ie=UTF8&ll=39.402244,-110.939941&spn=14.551047,28.916016&z=5&om=1">recent trips</a> across the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Basin">Great Basin</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Plateau">Colorado Plateau</a> gave me ample time to ruminate about the economics of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power">solar power</a> generation. The vast expanses of arid, sunny land seem ideal for such use, and the several for-sale signs invited my curiosity. Many questions came to my mind. How much per acre does such land go for? What is the going wholesale rate of electricity? What is the cost per panel of commercially-available solar panels? What is the highest efficiency of current commercially-available solar panels? Would it be more economical to install them at a fixed angle or to have them track the sun? What is the weathering on solar panels like? Does one have to clean the dirt off regularly? How do they stand up to hail? How much would it cost to hire labor to install them in a remote place? How much would it cost to connect the panels and in what configuration? What kind of hookup to the power grid is necessary and how much does that cost? While I am not thinking of leaving behind my PhD program to pursue "solar farming", it is an interesting question. I would think if the economics favored solar power, the energy companies would already be picking up the land and installing their own arrays.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-37019274494708371402007-06-25T11:11:00.001-04:002007-06-25T11:20:26.271-04:00Google Tools WishlistThere are several things I'd like to be able to do better on different <a href="http://www.google.com/">Google</a> tools. They are either features that don't yet exist or I don't yet know how to use them.<br /><h3><a href="http://www.google.com/calendar/">Google Calendar</a></h3><ul><li>Synchronize with my pocket PC (Microsoft Oulook).</li><li>Cut, copy and paste calendar items.</li><li>Save places.</li></ul><h3><a href="http://www.google.com/reader/">Google Reader</a><br /></h3><ul><li>Search entry titles.</li></ul>This entry will no doubt expand as I continue to use and think about Google's tools.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795503943445140772.post-51851883503247975452007-06-20T09:34:00.000-04:002007-06-20T09:40:15.937-04:00First PostThis is my first post to a blog, ever. The closest thing I have done is edit wikis (<a href="http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/TWiki/">OSU physics department TWiki</a>, <a href="http://www.qmcwiki.org/">QMC Wiki</a>, <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org/">Wikipedia</a>, etc.) The difference, I think, lies in the end product. On a wiki, the end product is a group presentation of some information. On a blog, it is an individual expression of thought. I hope that some usefulness will come out of this blog, if to no one else, at least, to me.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07269734275130766861noreply@blogger.com0