My E-Prime Day...
The consciousness I know as me becomes aware of what appears to be a new day. The body this consciousness calls me stretches and yawns. I appear to move this body out of the bed and into the kitchen. I turn a knob that allows water to flow through the faucet and fill the container that serves to hold the water while it is heated on the stove. The thick moisture in the air makes the sky appear to have no color. the temperature registers as 65 degrees on the thermostat. The erector pilli muscles contract and my hair becomes perpendicular to my skin. I pour the heated water into a smaller container that is made our of a hard earthen material that registers as blue and brown to most human eyes and has a loop of the same material to hod it by. I add some aromatic vegetative material contained in a small permeable cotton container to the water and let is sit until the molecules from the vegetative material are suspends in the water at a concentration that gives pleasure to my mouth when I drink it.
Synthesizing East and West
The idea of synthesizing east and west is very exciting to me. I love the philosophy of the east and have studied yoga and Buddhism for years. I also love the science and math of the west and feel comforted by the reliability of that system. That "our" conversation is including both at the same time just tickles my soul. I chose acupuncture as a career because of how it blends the east and the west, the body and the soul. That acupuncture is being accepted my the western medical world will open so many doors for healing on so many levels. Bruce Robinson said at my orientation that is it a very auspicious time to be getting into this field. I agree.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Week 13 - Bionics and Our Biophysical Future
Would I support the development of a bionic person?
I support the development of bionic technology. I think it is amazing how our technology can interface with our biology. So many people could regain use of lost functions, such as the use of limbs and vision. Being a child of the 70's, I grew up with the TV show "The Six Million Dollar Man" (Lee Majors was HOT!) It was pretty science fiction then. It is exciting to see the technology evolve. Not is we are talking about something more along the line of "borgs" from Star Trek, that is something entirely different. But back to bionics... I think the ethical questions about how good, strong, efficient we make a bionic part must be considered. The Six Million Dollar Man was like a super man, he could run faster, hear more clearly and see sharper than any normal human being. I think if we are going to use bionics they should be in the realm of normal, and not be above normal just because we can.
How would I rate "the control of artificial limbs by thought alone"?
I think this technology is very promising. We have learned so much about how the brain works from mapping the functions of the body on the brain to being able to follow specific neural pathways that facilitate specific functions. But the brain and its functions are so complex it may be awhile before it can be developed in such a way that it has real value. It reminds me of the evolution of the human genome project. There is so much information to map and classify. But we are a determined and persistent species. I am sure we will see the day that controlling artificial limbs by thought alone will be normal. That is, of course assuming that there is some mode of communication between the brain and the artificial limb and we are not just talking about telekinesis.
I support the development of bionic technology. I think it is amazing how our technology can interface with our biology. So many people could regain use of lost functions, such as the use of limbs and vision. Being a child of the 70's, I grew up with the TV show "The Six Million Dollar Man" (Lee Majors was HOT!) It was pretty science fiction then. It is exciting to see the technology evolve. Not is we are talking about something more along the line of "borgs" from Star Trek, that is something entirely different. But back to bionics... I think the ethical questions about how good, strong, efficient we make a bionic part must be considered. The Six Million Dollar Man was like a super man, he could run faster, hear more clearly and see sharper than any normal human being. I think if we are going to use bionics they should be in the realm of normal, and not be above normal just because we can.
How would I rate "the control of artificial limbs by thought alone"?
I think this technology is very promising. We have learned so much about how the brain works from mapping the functions of the body on the brain to being able to follow specific neural pathways that facilitate specific functions. But the brain and its functions are so complex it may be awhile before it can be developed in such a way that it has real value. It reminds me of the evolution of the human genome project. There is so much information to map and classify. But we are a determined and persistent species. I am sure we will see the day that controlling artificial limbs by thought alone will be normal. That is, of course assuming that there is some mode of communication between the brain and the artificial limb and we are not just talking about telekinesis.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Week 8 - Classical Physics
Newtons Three Laws and Me...
Thewtos three law can be used to decribe me at any moment of any day, as long as I exsist in a gravitational field, that is. All three of his laws have mass as a variable. Since mass is a function of gravity andy event or situation in a gravitational field can be defined as one or more of Newton laws. As a massage therapist Newton's laws affect me like this.
First: Objects at rest stay at rest, or momentum = mass x velocity. My clients make an appointment with sets up potential momentum. When the day comes for them to see me they activate that impulse and move their body (mass) in the direction of my office and (hopefully) arrive on time. Because their velocity has them moving in the right direction and the right speed (velocity).
In the course of their trip they will be described by Newton's second law: The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force acting on it. They will exert force to vary tieir speed and direction from moment to moment on their way. Once they arrive and get settled on my table they will settle into "an object at rest". In this state I will use the mass of my own body to apply a force.
Newton's third law describes why I don't work too hard. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. As hard as I may push, they push back just as hard. This can be very hard on my body so it is essential that My body mechanics are set up in such a way that the force I exert is efficient and the force that comes back at me travels easily though my own body.
Energy Efficiency...
All I can say on this subject is: Thank God we, as a culture, are becoming more conscious about how INefficient we are concerning our energy uses. The amount of energy that gets wasted everyday is dispicable. Ther are some of us that have been hip to this dilemma for awhile. It is a relief that our society is starting to catch up. I just hope its not a case of too little too late.
Decartes Has A Lot To Answer For...
I think it really interesting how critics of Decartes and reductionism step into an either/or argument about which theory is "right". That is reductionistic thinking at its best. Cartesian perspective allows us to peek into the working of our world from a particular point of view. I has value, not just in how we have learned the ins and outs of how we are put together from a biological, chemical and physical perspective, but in how we continue to understand our existence. I thnk that "new science" can be as arrogant as cartesian thinking. In referring to "The Rise and Fall of Reductionism" I find the "differences in mindest" could be addressed more completely if we took the time to "define our terms" better. What is "thought"? What is "life"? Some scientific descriptions ARE independent of the observers. I do have a hard time with Decartes' position that we are separate from nature though.
Thewtos three law can be used to decribe me at any moment of any day, as long as I exsist in a gravitational field, that is. All three of his laws have mass as a variable. Since mass is a function of gravity andy event or situation in a gravitational field can be defined as one or more of Newton laws. As a massage therapist Newton's laws affect me like this.
First: Objects at rest stay at rest, or momentum = mass x velocity. My clients make an appointment with sets up potential momentum. When the day comes for them to see me they activate that impulse and move their body (mass) in the direction of my office and (hopefully) arrive on time. Because their velocity has them moving in the right direction and the right speed (velocity).
In the course of their trip they will be described by Newton's second law: The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force acting on it. They will exert force to vary tieir speed and direction from moment to moment on their way. Once they arrive and get settled on my table they will settle into "an object at rest". In this state I will use the mass of my own body to apply a force.
Newton's third law describes why I don't work too hard. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. As hard as I may push, they push back just as hard. This can be very hard on my body so it is essential that My body mechanics are set up in such a way that the force I exert is efficient and the force that comes back at me travels easily though my own body.
Energy Efficiency...
All I can say on this subject is: Thank God we, as a culture, are becoming more conscious about how INefficient we are concerning our energy uses. The amount of energy that gets wasted everyday is dispicable. Ther are some of us that have been hip to this dilemma for awhile. It is a relief that our society is starting to catch up. I just hope its not a case of too little too late.
Decartes Has A Lot To Answer For...
I think it really interesting how critics of Decartes and reductionism step into an either/or argument about which theory is "right". That is reductionistic thinking at its best. Cartesian perspective allows us to peek into the working of our world from a particular point of view. I has value, not just in how we have learned the ins and outs of how we are put together from a biological, chemical and physical perspective, but in how we continue to understand our existence. I thnk that "new science" can be as arrogant as cartesian thinking. In referring to "The Rise and Fall of Reductionism" I find the "differences in mindest" could be addressed more completely if we took the time to "define our terms" better. What is "thought"? What is "life"? Some scientific descriptions ARE independent of the observers. I do have a hard time with Decartes' position that we are separate from nature though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
