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Thats a big Hat

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auuV

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Aug 29, 2009, 6:51:50 PM8/29/09
to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EmperorSuleiman.jpg

IMPRESSED.

--
I hear the saxophone
And it tears my soul

neurotrashboy

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Aug 29, 2009, 9:47:13 PM8/29/09
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On Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:51:50 +0100, auuV <au...@zazehen.invalid> wrote:

>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EmperorSuleiman.jpg
>
>IMPRESSED.

Necessary.

You see, it hides a dwarf assassin that he unleashes upon his enemies.

--
Copyright �2009 neurotrashboy http://www.shyte.net/users/ntb/

when a flash of intuition is a gift that helps you excel-sell-sell-sell

Don Stockbauer

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Aug 29, 2009, 10:26:47 PM8/29/09
to
On Aug 29, 8:47 pm, neurotrashboy <tr...@shytenet.co.uk> wrote:

> On Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:51:50 +0100, auuV <a...@zazehen.invalid> wrote:
> >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EmperorSuleiman.jpg
>
> >IMPRESSED.
>
> Necessary.
>
> You see, it hides a dwarf assassin that he unleashes upon his enemies.
>

It's larger than the average hat.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Aug 30, 2009, 8:34:08 AM8/30/09
to

Several sizes.

auuV

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Aug 30, 2009, 12:17:10 PM8/30/09
to
On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:47:13 +0100, neurotrashboy <tr...@shytenet.co.uk>
wrote:

>On Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:51:50 +0100, auuV <au...@zazehen.invalid> wrote:
>
>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EmperorSuleiman.jpg
>>
>>IMPRESSED.
>
>Necessary.

Ah.

Because you shouldnt wear something like that frivolously. Got to take
*hours* to wrap (watch a YouTube video on how to wrap even a modest
turban - or, on second thoughts, dont). And the weight of it is going
to be bothersome.

>You see, it hides a dwarf assassin that he unleashes upon his enemies.

That must be pretty cool!

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Aug 30, 2009, 3:39:57 PM8/30/09
to
On Aug 30, 11:17 am, auuV <a...@zazehen.invalid> wrote:
> On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:47:13 +0100, neurotrashboy <tr...@shytenet.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
> >On Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:51:50 +0100, auuV <a...@zazehen.invalid> wrote:
>
> >>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EmperorSuleiman.jpg
>
> >>IMPRESSED.
>
> >Necessary.
>
> Ah.  
>
> Because you shouldnt wear something like that frivolously.  Got to take
> *hours* to wrap (watch a YouTube video on how to wrap even a modest
> turban - or, on second thoughts, dont).  And the weight of it is going
> to be bothersome.
>
> >You see, it hides a dwarf assassin that he unleashes upon his enemies.
>
> That must be pretty cool!
>

"Is that your huge, oversized hat, or are you just happy to see me?"

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Aug 30, 2009, 11:16:59 PM8/30/09
to

"You can tell they're Dodge boys; they all wear white hats."

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Aug 31, 2009, 8:18:14 AM8/31/09
to

No feedback causes either extinction or explosion.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Aug 31, 2009, 4:04:10 PM8/31/09
to

The metasystem transition creates complex systems from simple ones.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Aug 31, 2009, 11:29:23 PM8/31/09
to

How much can a neuron know of the mind it helps form?

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 1, 2009, 7:29:03 AM9/1/09
to

"Fantastic insight into the true nature of reality is isomorphic to
insanity."

Why?

Any human brain can only deal with so much.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 1, 2009, 11:42:57 AM9/1/09
to

Cybernetics uber Alice!

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 1, 2009, 2:42:36 PM9/1/09
to

All hail the Globular Bwain!

Aren't killfiles wunnerful. Like, you make someone as if they never
existed.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 1, 2009, 11:26:56 PM9/1/09
to

Can't get enough of that Sugar Crisp, Sugar Crisp...

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 2, 2009, 7:42:48 PM9/2/09
to
On Sep 2, 5:44 am, Don Stockbauer <donstockba...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> My life is not worth living.

"That's where we keep our suitcase nukes!!!"

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 2, 2009, 11:40:32 PM9/2/09
to

Fuzzy-headed crap.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 3, 2009, 7:12:39 AM9/3/09
to

Itz nice when you can prattle on unchallenged, sort of a "stream-of-
corn-shuck-ness" deal.

Have you allowed the Global Brain into your life?

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 4, 2009, 8:16:19 AM9/4/09
to
On Sep 3, 2:43 pm, Don Stockbauer <donstockba...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> JOOTS.

INV(JOOTS)

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 5, 2009, 8:19:36 AM9/5/09
to

Ollie.

Ollie.

Oxen.

Free.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 5, 2009, 10:40:56 PM9/5/09
to

(Your witty statement here.)

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 6, 2009, 8:41:03 AM9/6/09
to

Above average size.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 6, 2009, 10:51:44 AM9/6/09
to

Hats need to be worn in the Texas noonday sun.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 6, 2009, 11:50:00 AM9/6/09
to

Hats arf to ewe.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 6, 2009, 8:12:59 PM9/6/09
to

Throw your hat in the ring.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 6, 2009, 11:55:31 PM9/6/09
to

Groucho Marx once talked about "getting his hat sucked and talking on
the phone at the same time."

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 7, 2009, 7:06:22 AM9/7/09
to

Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper up.
They slither while they pass, they make their way across the Universe
(SETI?????).

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 8, 2009, 7:28:12 AM9/8/09
to

The gym was closed.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 8, 2009, 10:48:36 PM9/8/09
to

The blue dog barks at midnight.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 9, 2009, 6:59:27 AM9/9/09
to

Didja hear it? And midnight where?

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 9, 2009, 7:30:37 PM9/9/09
to

Does anyone here know if MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) is an
effective decay-preventive dentifrice that can be of significant value
when used as directed in a conscientiously applied program of oral
hygiene and regular professional care?

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 10, 2009, 4:05:33 AM9/10/09
to

alt.finding.an.infinity.of.new.names.because.there.are

(AFAIONNBTA)

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 10, 2009, 2:55:29 PM9/10/09
to

"I wanted a hat,
That was much bigger than normal size,
Oh, if I'd only seen,
that the hat was too big for me."

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 11, 2009, 6:17:40 PM9/11/09
to

All you plus-sized gals,
here's the hat for you!

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 11, 2009, 9:51:41 PM9/11/09
to

ETAOIN SHRDLU is the approximate order of frequency of the twelve most
commonly used letters in the English language, best known as a
nonsense phrase that sometimes appeared in print in the days of "hot
type" publishing due to a custom of Linotype machine operators.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 12, 2009, 8:46:28 AM9/12/09
to

5 FEEDBACK
GOTO 5

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 12, 2009, 2:13:18 PM9/12/09
to

A hat beyond the size of a normal hat.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 12, 2009, 8:52:43 PM9/12/09
to

But all is relative, I mean, if you compared the size if the hat to
the distance to the causal horizon, it would appear small.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 13, 2009, 12:14:05 AM9/13/09
to

Let it sink to the bottom of usenet ocean. Hi, Alvin.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 16, 2009, 8:19:10 AM9/16/09
to

OOOPS! It bobbed to the surface again!

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 16, 2009, 3:05:19 PM9/16/09
to

Lotsa bubbles under it.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 17, 2009, 1:32:03 PM9/17/09
to
On Sep 16, 2:05 pm, Don Stockbauer <donstockba...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Sep 16, 7:19 am, Don Stockbauer <donstockba...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>

A big shark nosed it to the surface again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Too bad,
Alvin.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 17, 2009, 7:40:40 PM9/17/09
to

"and they call him Flipper, Flipper...."

No, No not one of those Thalidomide babies, you idiot.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 18, 2009, 8:43:31 AM9/18/09
to

"Ma, the suitcase nuke burned the ends of my hands off!"

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 19, 2009, 9:14:08 AM9/19/09
to

"Attach floatation device."

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 20, 2009, 7:16:47 PM9/20/09
to

"Gosh, this thread has been on top for 78 years now."

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 20, 2009, 9:32:56 PM9/20/09
to

"What year did you say Alvin lived in?"

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 21, 2009, 1:28:50 AM9/21/09
to

And what about Trevindor?

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 21, 2009, 6:37:29 PM9/21/09
to

Or the Master?

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 21, 2009, 11:24:04 PM9/21/09
to

Runaway Positive Feedback (RPF).

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 22, 2009, 12:12:30 AM9/22/09
to

Crest has been shown to be an effective decay preventive dentifrice


that can be of significant value when used as directed in a
conscientiously applied program of oral hygiene and regular

professional care. It also makes a good bathroom caulk.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 22, 2009, 10:48:22 PM9/22/09
to

(Your witty, previous post topping comment here).

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 24, 2009, 7:34:14 AM9/24/09
to
What an individual can't know on their own, the Sea of Humanity as a
whole might.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 25, 2009, 12:50:51 AM9/25/09
to
On Sep 24, 6:34 am, Don Stockbauer <don.stockba...@gmail.com> wrote:
> What an individual can't know on their own, the Sea of Humanity as a
> whole might.

"Big " relative to what? An electron?

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 27, 2009, 7:37:46 AM9/27/09
to

Another grape, Rudolpho?

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 29, 2009, 1:56:53 AM9/29/09
to

The size of a regular hat, plus a lot more.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 29, 2009, 12:08:47 PM9/29/09
to

Over and above the size of a normal hat that a normal sized person and
heid might wear.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 30, 2009, 7:58:35 AM9/30/09
to


5 METASYSTEM TRANSITION GOTO 5

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 30, 2009, 4:02:17 PM9/30/09
to

5 PARADIGM SHIFT GOTO 5

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Sep 30, 2009, 11:16:02 PM9/30/09
to

5 COMMUNICATE GOTO 5

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 1, 2009, 3:54:28 PM10/1/09
to

"Mommy, is that a big hat?"

"It's all relative, little Albert."

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 1, 2009, 7:15:58 PM10/1/09
to

This was the first thing that came to mind.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 2, 2009, 8:08:06 AM10/2/09
to

Running unopposed is really sort of boring.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 2, 2009, 4:58:33 PM10/2/09
to

Found this, Alvin?

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 2, 2009, 11:42:03 PM10/2/09
to

Lys is thataway.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 3, 2009, 7:03:50 AM10/3/09
to

Larger than your average sized hat.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 3, 2009, 6:41:39 PM10/3/09
to

Networks, not revolution.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 3, 2009, 11:50:37 PM10/3/09
to

Bigger than an ordinary, standard sized hat.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 4, 2009, 9:59:12 PM10/4/09
to

Drought's over here.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 4, 2009, 10:04:02 PM10/4/09
to

"Classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized, alienated loners who
lived on the edge of society in generally dystopic futures where daily
life was impacted by rapid technological change, an ubiquitous
datasphere of computerized information, and invasive modification of
the human body." - Lawrence Person[7]

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 4, 2009, 10:20:37 PM10/4/09
to

Nick's talent extends to programming the network using only a touch
tone telephone. One of his handlers at Tarnover explains that this is
like a classical pianist being able to play entire sonatas and
concertos from memory. However Nick also has some personality flaws,
amounting almost to a deathwish. These make themselves manifest in
exhibitions of his abilities, revealing his identity to his pursuers.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 6, 2009, 9:00:01 AM10/6/09
to

"The Attack of the Sizable Beasts."

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 7, 2009, 7:23:52 AM10/7/09
to

"The Attack of the Sizable Hats."

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 8, 2009, 7:27:13 AM10/8/09
to
On Oct 6, 9:08 am, enterprise risk management

- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
<tiwariravindr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Friends,

> "Our offer to you" has been shown in following paragraphs

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> you, Of-course advertisement for you is free of cost if you forward
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> as described in following paragraphs)

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> according to complexity of problem. Generally we provide Novel Excel
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> We value your money so we provide more value than your money. That is
> the reason We advertisement your business free of cost for 45 days
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> We advice that you should try first catagory of service. Then if you
> are satisfied then can opt for second catagory. Again If you are eager
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> Pls forward this mail to at least 10 persons with cc to us at
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> then you will have to forward two seperate mails . These mails should
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> regarding pornographic Business/Skills will be published.

> On recieving your forwarded mail we will show your attached word
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Ooook! Eeeeeeek! Oooooook! Eeeeeeek!

(Sees rival ape-man across field, clunks on head with tapir femur).

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 9, 2009, 9:20:01 AM10/9/09
to

Off to today's lessons around the Big Black Marble Slab (BMS).

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 13, 2009, 1:38:46 AM10/13/09
to

Here is an explanation of the difference between systems theory and
cybernetics, although cybernetics has taken over both definitions:

In fact, cybernetics and systems theory study essentially the same
problem, that of organization independent of the substrate in which it
is embodied. Insofar as it is meaningful to make a distinction between
the two approaches, we might say that systems theory has focused more
on the structure of systems and their models, whereas cybernetics has
focused more on how systems function, that is to say how they control
their actions, how they communicate with other systems or with their
own components, ... Since structure and function of a system cannot be
understood in separation, it is clear that cybernetics and systems
theory should be viewed as two facets of a single approach.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 13, 2009, 7:54:31 AM10/13/09
to

The edge of the accessible universe is the causal horizon, a spherical
boundary centered on Earth with a radius of about 15 billion light-
years (the speed of light the age of the universe). Information from
beyond the causal horizon cannot reach us because there has not been
enough time since the Big Bang for any signal to travel so far, even
at the speed of light. But as the universe gets older, the horizon
moves out, bringing more of the unseen universe into view. What is the
nature of the "stuff" beyond the horizon? Lacking information and an
adequate physical theory of the Big Bang itself, cosmologists can only
speculate. Observers on a galaxy a billion light-years away from the
Earth could draw a similar causal horizon around themselves, but their
horizon would include parts of the universe that astronomers on Earth
would not be able to see. Given the assumption that observers see a
similar universe regardless of where they are, the part that we call
unseen must be similar to the part just inside our horizon. From this
argument cosmologists conclude that the part of the universe we can
see is embedded in a much larger universe of the same stuff, possibly
extending to infinity, or possibly not, or the excluded middle.

**********************

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 14, 2009, 12:16:29 PM10/14/09
to

Simulated annealing (SA) is a generic probabilistic metaheuristic for
the global optimization problem of applied mathematics, namely
locating a good approximation to the global minimum of a given
function in a large search space. It is often used when the search
space is discrete (e.g., all tours that visit a given set of cities).
For certain problems, simulated annealing may be more effective than
exhaustive enumeration — provided that the goal is merely to find an
acceptably good solution in a fixed amount of time, rather than the
best possible solution.

The name and inspiration come from annealing in metallurgy, a
technique involving heating and controlled cooling of a material to
increase the size of its crystals and reduce their defects. The heat
causes the atoms to become unstuck from their initial positions (a
local minimum of the internal energy) and wander randomly through
states of higher energy; the slow cooling gives them more chances of
finding configurations with lower internal energy than the initial
one.

By analogy with this physical process, each step of the SA algorithm
replaces the current solution by a random "nearby" solution, chosen
with a probability that depends on the difference between the
corresponding function values and on a global parameter T (called the
temperature), that is gradually decreased during the process. The
dependency is such that the current solution changes almost randomly
when T is large, but increasingly "downhill" as T goes to zero. The
allowance for "uphill" moves saves the method from becoming stuck at
local minima—which are the bane of greedier methods.

The method was independently described by S. Kirkpatrick, C. D. Gelatt
and M. P. Vecchi in 1983 [1], and by V. Černý in 1985 [2]. The method
is an adaptation of the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm, a Monte Carlo
method to generate sample states of a thermodynamic system, invented
by N. Metropolis et al. in 1953 [3].

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 15, 2009, 6:24:57 PM10/15/09
to
> causes the atoms to become unstuck from their initial positions (a...
>
> read more »

I wonder if it can be applied to civilization at large????

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 16, 2009, 8:18:36 AM10/16/09
to

Here I am.

Adrift in my hoax balloon.

Giving people something to do with their useless fucking lives; that
is, watching Cunt News Network.

What a lucky guy am I!

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 16, 2009, 11:50:11 PM10/16/09
to

"My main aim in this Chapter is to communicate some of the images
which help me to visualize how consciousness arises out of the jungle
of neurons; to communicate a set of intangible intuitions, in the hope
that these intuitions are valuable and may perhaps help others a
little to come to clearer formulations of their own images of what
makes minds run. I could not hope for more than that my own mind's
blurry images of minds and images should catalyze the formation of
sharper images of minds and images in other minds."

Douglas R. Hofstadter

"Godel, Escher, Bach", p. 686-687

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 17, 2009, 3:55:04 AM10/17/09
to

"You're an interesting species; an interesting mix. Capable of such
exquisite dreams; such horrifying nightmares. Technologically you've
advanced very quickly -- some think too quickly.

Ted from "Contact" - after the wormhole trip.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 17, 2009, 8:45:02 AM10/17/09
to
There before him, a glittering toy no Star-Child could resist,
floated the planet Earth with all its peoples.

He had returned in time.
Down there on that crowded globe,
the alarms would be flashing across the radar screens,
the great tracking telescopes would be searching the skies -
and history [as it had hitherto been known] would be drawing to a
close.

A thousand miles below,
he became aware that a slumbering cargo of death had awoken,
and was stirring sluggishly in its orbit.
The feeble energies it contained were no possible menace to him;
but he preferred a cleaner sky.
He put forth his will, and the circling megatons flowered in a silent
detonation that brought a brief false dawn to half the sleeping globe.

Then he waited, marshalling his thoughts and
brooding over his still untested powers.
For though he was master of the world, he was not quite sure what to
do next.

But he would think of something.

Don Stockbauer

unread,
Oct 18, 2009, 9:25:37 AM10/18/09
to

Godel, Escher, Bach, page 634:

Achilles: I'm rooting for Home Team. I always do.

Sloth: Oh, how conventional. I never root for Home Team. The closer a
team lives to the antipodes, the more I root for it.

Achilles: Oh, so you live in the Antipodes? I've heard it's charming
to live there, but I wouldn't want to visit them. They're so far
away.

Sloth: And the strange thing about them is that they don't get any
closer no matter which way you travel.

Tortoise: That's my kind of place.

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 19, 2009, 12:43:36 AM10/19/09
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Complexity Theory states that critically interacting components self-
organize to form potentially evolving structures exhibiting a
hierarchy of emergent system properties.

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 20, 2009, 7:24:50 AM10/20/09
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Why do anything at all?

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 20, 2009, 1:51:32 PM10/20/09
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Why do nothing at all?

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 20, 2009, 2:47:21 PM10/20/09
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Introspection and Insanity: A Godelian Problem

Godel, Escher, Bach: p. 696, Douglas R. Hofstadter

I think it can have suggestive value to translate Godel's Theorem into
other domains, provided one specifies in advance that the translations
are metaphorical and are not intended to be taken literally. That
having been said, I see two major ways of using analogies to connect
Godel's Theorem and human thoughts. One involves the problem of
wondering about one's sanity.
How can you figure out if you are sane? This is a Strange Loop indeed.
Once you begin to question your own sanity, you can get trapped in an
ever-tighter vortex of self-fulfilling prophecies, though the process
is by no means inevitable. Everyone knows that the insane interpret
the world via their own peculiarly consistent logic; how can you tell
if your own logic is "peculiar" or not, given that you have only your
own logic to judge itself? I don't see any answer. I am just reminded
of Godel's second Theorem, which implies that the only versions of
formal number theory which
assert their own consistency are inconsistent...

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 20, 2009, 9:59:38 PM10/20/09
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We accept mathematical and psychological constructivism, but we go
further. We call our evolutionary philosophy physically constructive
in the sense that systems can only be understood in terms of the
(physical) processes which manifest them and by which they have been
assembled. This is certainly true for physical and biological systems,
but also holds for formal, symbolic, and semantic systems. In
particular, we hold that semantics, language, and mathematics must
always be understood in the context of the physical basis of their
operation---on the physical systems (e.g. sense organs, brains,
machines, computers) which transmit, receive, and especially interpret
physical tokens.

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 20, 2009, 10:02:09 PM10/20/09
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The Social Superorganism and its Global Brain

Society can be viewed as a multicellular organism, with individuals in
the role of the cells. The network of communication channels
connecting individuals then plays the role of a nervous system for
this superorganism, i.e. a "global brain".
It is an old idea, dating back at least to the ancient Greeks, that
the whole of human society can be viewed as a single organism. Many
thinkers have noticed the similarity between the roles played by
different organizations in society and the functions of organs,
systems and circuits in the body. For example, industrial plants
extract energy and building blocks from raw materials, just like the
digestive system. Roads, railways and waterways transport these
products from one part of the system to another one, just like the
arteries and veins. Garbage dumps and sewage systems collect waste
products, just like the colon and the bladder. The army and police
protect the society against invaders and rogue elements, just like the
immune system.

Such initially vague analogies become more precise as the
understanding of organisms increases. The concepts of systems theory
provide a good framework for establishing a precise correspondence
between organismic and societal functions. The fact that complex
organisms, like our own bodies, are built up from individual cells,
led to the concept of superorganism. If cells aggregate to form a
multicellular organism, then organisms might aggregate to form an
organism of organisms: a superorganism. Biologists agree that social
insect colonies, such as ant nests or beehives, are best seen as such
superorganisms. The activities of a single ant, bee or termite are
meaningless unless they are understood in function of the survival of
the colony.

Individual humans may seem similar to the cells of a social
superorganism, but they are still much more independent than ants or
cells (Heylighen & Campbell, 1995). This is especially clear if we
look at the remaining competition, conflicts and misunderstandings
between individuals and groups. Thus human society is still an
ambivalent system, balancing between individual selfishness and
collective responsibility. In that sense it may be more similar to
organisms like slime molds or sponges, whose cells can live
individually as well as collectively, than to true multicellular
organisms. However, there seems to be a continuing trend towards
global integration. As technological and social systems develop into a
more closely knit tissue of interactions, transcending the old
boundaries between countries and cultures, the social superorganism
seems to turn from a metaphor into a reality. Although many people
tend to see the super-organism philosophy as a totalitarian or
collectivist ideology, the opposite is true: further integration will
basically increase individual freedom and diversity.

Most recently, the technological revolution has produced a global
communication network, which can be seen as a nervous system for this
planetary being. As the computer network becomes more intelligent it
starts to look more like a global brain or super-brain, with
capabilities far surpassing those of individual people (see our page
on learning, brain-like webs for an experimental approach to make the
net more intelligent). This is part of an evolutionary transition to a
higher level of complexity. A remaining question is whether this
transition will lead to the integration of the whole of humanity,
producing a human "super-being", or merely enhance the capabilities of
individuals, thus producing a multitude of "meta-beings".

In order to study these different issues, the "Global Brain Group" has
been created. Its members include most of the authors that have
written on the subject. Their works and others are listed in the
global brain bibliography. Their discussion have inspired a Global
Brain FAQ, i.e. a list of answers to the most common questions raised
by this subject.

Copyright© 2000 Principia Cybernetica - Referencing this page

(see what happens when you lock someone out of contributing to your
system?)

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 21, 2009, 12:05:38 AM10/21/09
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"I never did believe in miracles,
but I've a feeling it's time to try.
I never did believe in the ways of magic,
but I'm beginning to wonder why."

- Fleetwood Mac, "You make Loving Fun."

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 21, 2009, 9:20:01 AM10/21/09
to

Thomas Munnecke's, Riverside, Ca., letter to Scientific American,
August, 1981.

Sirs,

I am happy to see that there has been no response to Dr.
Hofstadter's column on self-reference ["Letters," SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN,
May]. Those who look at self-reference perch themselves precariously
on Ockham's Razor, tottering between hopeless confusion and fantastic
insight. One might as well open a dictionary and find, "recursion:
see recursion." He who is able to see recursion gains fresh insight
into it.

I am reminded of a conversation between an ancient philosopher,
Hee Hoo (whose epitaph reads , "Who is buried in Hoo's tomb?), and W.
V. Hee:

Hoo: What is a question that is also its own answer?

Hee: Why not, "Why not?"?

Hoo: "Why not?"? Why not!

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 21, 2009, 7:38:32 PM10/21/09
to

Mistletoe is an abortifactant for cattle.

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 22, 2009, 12:36:03 AM10/22/09
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Pecan oil is highly polyunsaturated.

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 22, 2009, 8:59:03 AM10/22/09
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Do an interpretive dance expressing your feelings right now.

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 23, 2009, 12:29:32 AM10/23/09
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On Oct 22, 7:59 am, Don Stockbauer <don.stockba...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Do an interpretive dance expressing your feelings right now.

(your comment here)

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 25, 2009, 3:44:58 PM10/25/09
to

Larger than your average hat.

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 25, 2009, 9:40:25 PM10/25/09
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Never eat at Uncle Mutt's BBQ joint, Victoria, Texas US of A

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 28, 2009, 7:44:37 AM10/28/09
to

Exceptionally big.

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 28, 2009, 8:00:30 AM10/28/09
to

Metasystem Transition Theory (MSTT) is the name we have given our
particular cybernetic philosophy. Its most salient concept is, of
course, the Metasystem Transition (MST), the evolutionary process by
which higher levels of complexity and control are generated. But it
also includes our views on philosophical problems, and makes
predictions about the possible future of mankind and life. Our goal is
to create, on the basis of cybernetic concepts, an integrated
philosophical system, or "world view", proposing answers to the most
fundamental questions about the world, ourselves, and our ultimate
values.

Our methodology to build this complete philosophical system is based
on a "bootstrapping" principle: the expression of the theory affects
its content and meaning, and vice versa. In this way we aim to apply
the principles of cybernetics to their own development. Our philosophy
too is based on cybernetic principles. Our epistemology understands
knowledge as a model, which is constructed by the subject or group,
but undergoes selection by the environment. Our metaphysics asserts
actions as ontological primitives. On the basis of this ontology, we
define the most important concepts and organize them in a semantic
network. At a higher level, we also lay out the fundamental principles
of cybernetics in terms of these underlying concepts.

One of the central concepts is that of evolution in the most general
sense, which is produced by the mechanism of variation and selection.
Another is control, which we define in a special cybernetic sense, and
assert as the basic mode of organization in complex systems. This
brings us to the central concept for MSTT, that of the metasystem
transition, or the process by which control emerges in evolutionary
systems.

On this basis we then reconstruct the complete history of evolution,
from the Big Bang to the present, as a sequence of MST's. An
extrapolation of this sequence provides us with a first glimpse of
what the future might bring. Finally, the possible dangers and
opportunities of our evolutionary future direct our attention to the
need for formulating an ethics, based on evolutionary and systemic
principles, that could guide our actions.

Background of the theory
The concept of the metasystem transition was introduced in Turchin's
book The Phenomenon of Science, which was followed by Inertia of Fear
and the Scientific Worldview. The basic tenets of MSTT were formulated
by Turchin and Joslyn in "The Cybernetic Manifesto". As Heylighen
joined the Editorial Board, the work on MSTT intensified, and the
Principia Cybernetica Web was created. A major collection of papers on
MSTT by the three editors and invited authors was published in a
special issue of the journal World Futures entitled "The Quantum of
Evolution". MSTT is also being applied to computer science and the
foundations of mathematics by Turchin and his colleagues. The
bibliography of PCP includes most publications on MSTT.

Copyright© 1997 Principia Cybernetica - Referencing this page

Don Stockbauer

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Oct 28, 2009, 12:01:45 PM10/28/09
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Purdy dog-gone neat stuff, eh???

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