I should preface by saying I'm a fan of David Harriman. He's a physicist and teacher at the Van Damme Academy. Among many articles/lectures available through the Ayn Rand Bookstore and two forthcoming books, he published a lecture series based upon his teachings at the Academy. I've been eying his "Fundamentals of Physical Science" for a while, though the price tag scares me. But now, he's offering an hour introduction to the series for free! So to get a better idea of his lecture style and to decide if $900 is a fair price for the series I downloaded the lecture and these are my notes on what he says are the greatest scientific discoveries and why he thinks so. My purpose is to give myself some context as a starting point for when I decide to read more in depth about each of these characters, because I find such context makes it easier to integrate the biographies of particular individuals with the rest of my knowledge of history.
Thales [~600 BC] - He starts out, properly I think, with epistemology and the development of the methods of scientific inquiry, though I'm a bit surprised Lucretius didn't make the cut. Thales "discovered natural science" by postulating that "everything is water". Now this turned out to be wrong, but: (1.) Thales presents a natural, physically observable, explanation of matter and (2.) attempted to integrate particular facts, instead of accepting them at face value, into more fundamental truths.
Aristarchus [~280 BC] - Figured the dimensions of the Moon and it's relation to the Earth based upon careful observation and basic math when it was taken for granted that such distant bodies were unknowable to man. In this way Aristarchus "gave people the idea that man really can understand the universe".
Archimedes [~240 BC] - He was the greatest pioneer of mathematical physics, or math applied to physical problems. Some examples: buoyancy/water displacement and law of levers. He demonstrated how narrow truths modeled mathematically can help you to understand aspects of the physical world.
Galileo [~1600] - Harriman cites Galileo's law of pendulums as his greatest discovery, though it's a simple physical phenomenon and not his work in astronomy, because it uses mathematical physics, like Archimedes, to understand moving bodies, which is something the Greeks didn't understand how to do. This law lead to Galileo's law of free fall which lead to Newton ...
Newton [~1666] - Newton's law of universal gravitation which infamously started with a falling apple. What's so great about this discovery is that Newton could take that one simple principle and, having developed a new branch of mathematics, could work out in detail all the implications including the orbit and revolution of planets, the motion of tides, and an apple falling.
Newton [~1669] - His experimental work in optics lead him to be the first to associate wavelengths with visible colors and develop mathematical formulas to describe the phenomenon. This was previously an entirely unquantifiable field and his discoveries gave birth to the laser and imaging/display technology we have today.
Galvani/Volta [~1800] - Both discovered that electrons move in currents that can be harnessed to do work in a battery. The significance of this discovery is again motion. Coulomb's work in electrostatics made way for currents, but it is really understanding how currents move and do work that technology advances.
Faraday [1831] - With his development of electric field theory and the link to electricity and magnetism his most important discovery was then the relationship between electricity and motion, how they may induce one another, and how to make it do work in the first electric generator.
Maxwell [1864] - Who discovered the relationship between electromagnetism and light, or how light is an EM field, by defining the mathematics of Faraday's discovery and working out the implications.
Rutherford [~1910] - His discovery of the basic structure of the atom opened the entire field of atomic physics for generations to explore.
Every year, once a year, I go back to Arizona where I was raised to spend Thanksgiving with family. I have an interest in our family history and I've recently realized what a great source the older generations are for family history, especially grandma. So, I've stepped up the pace in my casual lifelong interest and now it's a full-fledged search. Here's some pictures I got copies of over my most recent Thanksgiving vacation:
This is my father at a wedding when he and mom were dating. This is the one of the youngest picture I've ever seen of him and I'm struck by his resemblance in this photo to me.
By the way, if any of my more net-savvy relatives happen upon this post and share my enthusiasm could you please send some of your own photos and stories. I'd really appreciate it.
During the course of my reading in Calculus I came across this interesting little anectdote. After a cursory search I'm happy to relate it here because I've always enjoyed the sense that words make.
"Minute" is shortened from the Latin phrase pars minuta prima which translates first small part [of an hour]. It's the first sexagesimal division of an hour, which was the common base unit in ancient times. "Second" is from pars minuta secunda [second small part]. It's no coincidence then that the term for our small moment of time, the second, is similar to the number two, it's the second order of smallness in dividing an hour.
You know, I don't really like the show, but Alec Baldwin's character is so fantastic and hilarious. It's worth it just to watch him.
Liz: It was terrible, I went to her apartment. I don't think she has a toilet. I saw my future, Jack.
Jack: Never go with a hippie to a second location.
Traditionally the Vikings raided the northern coasts of Europe, rarely moving very far inland and generally remaining mobile looters. But in the early 10th century King Charles III [the Simple] of France made a deal with once such Viking lord who had been trolling his northern coasts, Rollo of dubious yet certainly nordic origins. The King of France gave Rollo a large bit of land in northern France on which to settle and, in return, Rollo declared fiefdom to France, mostly stopped looting French land, and protected the northern coasts against other Vikings. Charles the Simple's strategy worked, Rollo and his men settled the region well, inter-marrying with the locals and developing a mixture of French and Norse for a language. They became known as the Normans [Norsemen] and their land Normandy. Viking raids on English coasts continued into the late 10th century when King Ethelred the Unready of England [which had only united within the previous century or so] married Emma the daughter of Richard I [the Fearless] Duke of Normandy [and grandson of Rollo] in an attempt to get his own Viking protection.
After the terrible reign of Ethelred the rule of England was captured by a Danish line of kings and for almost three decades England was a part of the Danish empire while Emma's sons by Ethelred were exiled to Normandy. While there Edward II [the Confessor] developed an affinity for Norman society. When the Danish line ended he was restored to the throne, however his Norman sympathies and favoritism of Norman nobles put him in conflict with the powerful Anglo-Saxon earls of Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria [collectively, the better part of the English Kingdom]. In 1066 Edward died without an heir. Harold Godwinson Earl of Wessex with the authority of the Witenagemot, and by blood relation to Emma William the Duke of Normandy, and by a specious claim Harald III King of Norway - all claimed the throne of England and had armies ready to fight for that claim.
First, Tosig Godwinson, the exiled brother of Harold, attacked England from the southeast. Harold drove him north north where he was beaten by the Earls of Mercia and Northumbria. He retreated into Scotland and then met up with King Harald's forces who began their attack on the north. Mercia and Northumbria were defeated at the Battle of Fulford and King Harald took up residence in York. All the while, Harold Godwinson waited with an army on the south coast for William. But with his supplies dwindling through the wait, he dismissed his army and moved north gathering troops on the way. Tosig and King Harald were taken by surprise and killed by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge and Harold's army was left severely weakened.
During this time William had been gathering troops from all over France by promises of English lands and entitlements. He was delayed in setting sail by bad weather and thus missed Harold who had been waiting with his army. William arrived in Pevensey, Sussex and set up base [so chosen because it was the personal property of Harold] days after the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Harold ran south at the news with his depleted and weary army and met William at the Battle of Hastings. It was a close battle but near the end Harold was killed.
The Witenagemot tried to elect another King, and some of the Anglo-Saxon nobles resisted but William defeated them and was crowned King of England late in 1066. This began the Norman rule of England and was the last time England was militarily conquered.
Recently I've been thinking about the topic of charity, and how it is enforced. I've been playing with the idea of comparing modern taxes in the context of charity and foreign aid to tithes. And so, it is with some interest that I discovered this article about a website, DonorsChoose.org, which is gaining popularity in Indiana. The site list the wish lists of teachers with plans for special educational projects for their classes, which [I guess] can't be funded by the school board. The public is then invited to peruse the project proposals and donate whatever they like to those they deem of merit. The merit of certain projects aside, I'm quite impressed with the scheme. Not only does it allow people to support only those causes which they judge worthy, but it also gives parents the oppourtunity to have more of a say in what they're children are learning in public schools by direct funding. Anyway, I'd like to set it aside as an example for possible later use.
The program works by matching the public's desire to give with projects, many at high-need or high-poverty schools. This can range from books to computers to student field trips.
DonorsChoose allows anyone to donate as much or as little to a project of their choosing. When it's fully funded, the site purchases and sends the materials to the teacher. It includes a camera to take photos of students using the donated material and instructs teachers and students to write thank you notes to the donors.
"The model of DonorsChoose enables somebody with $10 to get the same level of choice and impact and feedback from the classroom as Bill Gates gets when he makes a million dollar gift," Best said.
[...]
"I think there are a lot of people out there who want to give and want to donate or be involved in schools but don't know how," Allen said. "This gives them a chance to look around and find a reason that compels them." [emphasis added]
I've finished the last book and I finally understand what the whole series is about and thus why I'm drawn to it. It's theme [analogous to "the significance of Atlas' and the conditions under which they exist or not" for Atlas Shrugged] is "the vast difference between living a fulfilling life rather than avoiding death at any cost, and the superiority of the former".
There are of course some curse words bandied about throughout the books, such as 'selfless', 'guilt' and 'for the greater good' but within the given context their actual meaning reinforces the theme. For example, when Harry is "selfless" he is more concerned for the safety of his dear loved ones than his own, the very people who help bring a treasured joy to his otherwise suffer-filled life. Such an act is not selfless, it is profoundly selfish. I dare anyone who might contest my use of those terms to look at Voldemorte, the picture of ruthless "selfishness", and with a straight face state that what he did to himself, how he destroyed his life, was is his own self-interest. Voldemorte hasn't a decently selfish bone in his body, not a single shred of respect for the soul he ripped apart. Whereas Harry covets his soul, loves the life he's been trying to build with the people he admires, so much that he's willing to walk into his death to protect them. So, though Rowling uses commonly mistaken terms, her loyalty to a noble soul, a life well-lived, is unerring.
One of my favourite things to do with my free time is walk around downtown, do errands, drink coffee, read, etc. It's not Chicago, but for now I'm content. Here's some pictures:
I was partly fascinated and partly disgusted by this book. Fascinated because the author discusses my most cherished subject. Disgusted that his goal of telling the story of electricity comes second to cultural sophistication and appearing intelligent to those Americans who are similarly socially conscious. He is constantly proposing loose metaphors between electricity and every thing else, not for the purpose of clarifying, since his metaphors do more to obscure the complexity of the grid than anything else. The electron is a slave, POOF, now it's a cow, BANG, a fish, Zap, the salvation of mankind. The whole book reads like a magician displaying his fantastical wares to a group of ignorant onlookers. For example, he often reverts back to a "gods of electricity" theme. Except his gods aren't Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, Insull, or any of their counterparts in business today. These gods he refers to are innate to the grid because of its complexity and they strike whenever the lowly operators of the grid get too comfortable. I only was able to choke down his endless stream of bullshit, with the rare diamond interspersed, under the surety that he's just regurgitating for mass appeal and doesn't actually have any authority. The only useful parts of this book are the first couple chapters that cover history and the bibliography.
While perusing the FORUM for Ayn Rand Fans I just noticed in an unrelated topic, Phil Oliver mentions the wonderfully handy CD he developed and that "You might want to buy The Objectivism Research CD-ROM while it's still available." [!]
After some questioning by EWV, he further elaborates that there are issues with extending the licensing he laboriously gathered when he first made the CD salable, stating:
"I don't plan to go through another irrational struggle to prolong the licensing. My original naive view, years ago, was that Leonard Peikoff would understand the value of the CD-ROM, but he does not see it as a value and evidently has other priorities these days than seeing the ideas of Ayn Rand spread as widely as possible, with the greatest level of accessibility."
I don't know exactly why Peikoff would have any problem granting a license extension, nor his precise legal role. But, whatever is going on with him, until Rand's work goes into public domain, I say take Mr. Oliver at his word and get it while you can. Later in the thread he projects that it won't be available after March 1, 2008.
