What is the newest installment of 'Random Thoughts' on Physics Forums?

[WWGD]

Will the cord work, or will it not? Will I get into a fight, or will I not? You live a dangerous life ...
I've once been told I'd rather lose a close friend than a bad pun. Dude, me thinks you're in a similar category

Oh, no, I just get blank stares and then get ignored. EDIT But I take it back, I see what you meant. I don't know how it works there at Konigsberg with its bridges, but being bizarre here is not helpful, to say the least.

 

[Posy McPostface]

Am I not in the lounge?

It might be better to post this in the SCI-FI section of the forum, with something of the following:

"How far away are we from eradicating the MAD doctrine? Will laser weapons provide a means to that end?"

 

[WWGD]

Am I not in the lounge?

It might be better to post this in the SCI-FI section of the forum, with something of the following:

"How far away are we from eradicating the MAD doctrine? Will laser weapons provide a means to that end?"

My bad, I meant to say, open a new post within general discussion asking how to go about posting, or ask Greg and/or a mentor.

 

[berkeman]

Am I not in the lounge?

It might be better to post this in the SCI-FI section of the forum, with something of the following:

"How far away are we from eradicating the MAD doctrine? Will laser weapons provide a means to that end?"

Please do a forum search. There have been several recent threads about missile defense systems based on lasers.

And MAD is not currently much of an issue. There are other missile threats that are much more real at the moment...

 

[Posy McPostface]

Please do a forum search. There have been several recent threads about missile defense systems based on lasers.

And MAD is not currently much of an issue. There are other missile threats that are much more real at the moment...

I did some more thinking and hope to post this in the sci-fi section of the forum, under the rationale of "Are directed energy weapons an 'absolute defense' against threats, and if so how will they shape the future of war?" (I'm still trying to make a less ambiguous thread title and polishing up the whole thing).

On second thought, I think I'll just research the matter in more detail, as I seem to be confused as to formalize the idea into words.

 

[berkeman]

On second thought, I think I'll just research the matter in more detail, as I seem to be confused as to formalize the idea into words.

Thanks. And if you can, please run the proposed OP past me whenever you think your are ready. I can help you make a post that should turn into a good thread (if possible).BTW, be sure to read about the issues introduced in missile defense systems when the missiles have decoy technology incorporated in their warhead payloads...

 

[Evo]

I did some more thinking and hope to post this in the sci-fi section of the forum, under the rationale of "Are directed energy weapons an 'absolute defense' against threats, and if so how will they shape the future of war?" (I'm still trying to make a less ambiguous thread title and polishing up the whole thing).

On second thought, I think I'll just research the matter in more detail, as I seem to be confused as to formalize the idea into words.

I'm glad to see you putting more thought into your posts. The Sci-fi forum is actually for reviewing and discussing current works of science fiction, books, movies, etc..., although some threads that weren't acceptable elsewhere in the forum were moved there by mistake.

And do take Berkeman up on his offer of help, he's great!

 

[Posy McPostface]

Thanks. And if you can, please run the proposed OP past me whenever you think your are ready. I can help you make a post that should turn into a good thread (if possible).BTW, be sure to read about the issues introduced in missile defense systems when the missiles have decoy technology incorporated in their warhead payloads...

Thank you for the offer and time for making such a thread possible; but...

I decided to drop the idea (is that you ADD?), due to the sheer amount of information available online. What I also concluded is that such systems would be only effective, for defending cities or carriers and destroyers. To counter ICBM's one would have to have these lasers in space, which brings a whole host of issues in regards to the weaponization of space, that would probably prohibit such a defense system from being implemented. EDIT: Technically an alternative to the weaponization of space problem is to have high altitude drones equipped with lasers to target rogue nations like North Korea from launching an ICBM during the boost phase. This is something the MDA (Missle Defence Agency) is working on at the moment. So, that's that.

 

[Posy McPostface]

Well, I'm stumped. I think, I'll ask someone more competent then, here;

Is a fish wet in water or only when taken out of water?

 

[fresh_42]

Well, I'm stumped. I think, I'll ask someone more competent then, here;

Is a fish wet in water or only when taken out of water?

It depends.
These two are wed

and this one isn't:

 

[Posy McPostface]

Well, Trump just signed a new directive for NASA to go back to the moon and then Mars. I expect media coverage to be minimal to nothing.

 

[Apple_Mango]

After being in college for a year, I just realize how high-school is a waste of time.

 

[WWGD]

Horrible idea: Just saw this couple crossing the street while holding hands. What if a car heads in their direction at high speed? Will they be able to think quickly-enough to let go of the hands?

 

[Asymptotic]

Horrible idea: Just saw this couple crossing the street while holding hands. What if a car heads in their direction at high speed? Will they be able to think quickly-enough to let go of the hands?

Were they each other's hands? If disembodied, for damn sure I'd be in a high speed car heading in the other direction.

 

[WWGD]

Were they each other's hands? If disembodied, for damn sure I'd be in a high speed car heading in the other direction.

?? Where they each other hands?? Do you mean if they were holding each other's hands?

 

[Asymptotic]

?? Where they each other hands?? Do you mean if they were holding each other's hands?

Precisely not.

Just saw this couple crossing the street while holding hands.

The natural implication is they are walking hand in hand, but this isn't necessarily the case. Other thoughts spring forth when this is prefaced with "Horrible idea", and if the reader has just finished watching "The Walking Dead" marathon.

 

[WWGD]

Precisely not.

The natural implication is they are walking hand in hand, but this isn't necessarily the case. Other thoughts spring forth when this is prefaced with "Horrible idea", and if the reader has just finished watching "The Walking Dead" marathon.

Well, this may turn into the Walking Dead Single-thon if they are not careful.

 

[WWGD]

Precisely not.

The natural implication is they are walking hand in hand, but this isn't necessarily the case. Other thoughts spring forth when this is prefaced with "Horrible idea", and if the reader has just finished watching "The Walking Dead" marathon.

Sorry, my disposition was unusually straight -forward.

 

[Asymptotic]

Sorry, my disposition was unusually straight -forward.

Chalk one up to the wonderful ambiguities of language. ;)

 

[WWGD]

Just heard this lady next to me dictate (EDIT: To her son) a homework paper on improving the environment: " We should find better ways of disposing of the _refuge_ society creates..." . I don't have the level of game to correct it and avoid making her son look like an ignoramus at school.

 

[WWGD]

Chalk one up to the wonderful ambiguities of language. ;)

I also just heard of someone who was " Angry with Jerry". I have never heard of "with Jerry" as a modifier for being angry. I have heard "Angry as Hell", but I can't imagine what it is to have a Jerry when one is angry.
But I can sort of see how one can be angry without Jerry ;). BTW: My brother's daughter is called Denisse. I call her brother, my brother's son " Denefiu" : Denisse and Denefiu.

 

[OCR]

Chalk one up to the wonderful ambiguities of language. ;)

Thank you, thank you... .

An attempted joke, like one of my jokes attempts... . lol

 

[Posy McPostface]

I have an unrefined question that I won't post a thread due to being... unrefined.

Do emergent phenomena exist? Would Godel's incompleteness theorem constitute an indirect proof that some phenomena can arise but be unprovable within the system itself?

 

[WWGD]

I have an unrefined question that I won't post a thread due to being... unrefined.

Do emergent phenomena exist? Would Godel's incompleteness theorem constitute an indirect proof that some phenomena can arise but be unprovable within the system itself?

My non-expert take is that Godel is about how infinite systems cannot be model by finite sets .This may extend to why we need a Supreme Court: an infinite set of possible outcomes/behaviors cannot be by a finite set of laws.

 

[Posy McPostface]

My non-expert take is that Godel is about how infinite systems cannot be model by finite sets .This may extend to why we need a Supreme Court: an infinite set of possible outcomes/behaviors cannot be by a finite set of laws.

Interesting point. Yes, I do see merit to the idea that given an uncountably infinite alphabet every theorem would be provable within the axiomatic system itself.

Obviously, such a system would be uncomputable. Anyway, thanks for the thought.

 

[BillTre]

Do emergent phenomena exist?

Yes, if by emergent phenomena you mean a property of a system (or collection of entities) that has a behavior(s) or structure(s) based upon but not obviously resulting from the properties of its lower level components.
Here is a wikipedia article on emergent phenomena with several interesting phenomena.

 

[Posy McPostface]

Yes, if by emergent phenomena you mean a property of a system (or collection of entities) that has a behavior(s) or structure(s) based upon but not obviously resulting from the properties of its lower level components.

So, is there something 'mystical' about emergent phenomena or can they be formalized given possibly more information about all the interactions between entities?

Thanks for responding.

 

[WWGD]

For some reason, recently, when someone says David, I have been hearing "Dave It".

 

[WWGD]

Amazing how long You Tube keeps playing after you shut down the PC. Is it all sent to cache?

 

[Posy McPostface]

Servers seem a lot faster. Awesome.

 

[BillTre]

So, is there something 'mystical' about emergent phenomena or can they be formalized given possibly more information about all the interactions between entities?

I would say not mystical, but based on the rules of the larger system rather then just the rules intrinsic to the lower level components.
One example in the wikipedia link was snowflake structure (combinations of the ice crystal's lower level component water molecules). There are many possibles ways to make snowflakes from water molecules that can result in many different possible structures.
The details of the resulting structure of a growing ice crystal (snowflake) would be determined by the detailed conditions of temperature and water molecule density and location at a micro-level among the already existing micro-structure of the nearby ice crystals.
Perhaps this is what you meant by "more information about all the interactions between entities".

 

[fresh_42]

Amazing how long You Tube keeps playing after you shut down the PC. Is it all sent to cache?

Yes. And here's what happens if there isn't enough cache:

For some reason, recently, when someone says David, I have been hearing "Dave It".

 

[fresh_42]

The details of the resulting structure of a growing ice crystal (snowflake) would be determined by the detailed conditions of temperature and water molecule density and location at a micro-level among the already existing micro-structure of the nearby ice crystals.
Perhaps this is what you meant by "more information about all the interactions between entities".

I don't think so, if I got you right. This alone would only lead to Descartes' determinism. However, we already know that this is wrong. I also think that a good AI is an example of emergence. I'm not sure whether I would go as far as some philosophers to call conscience a phenomenon of emergence, but I wouldn't know how to measure, decide it either. Maybe deep in our thoughts we're still at the stage of regarding emergent systems as simply underdetermined. No wonder it took half a century to deal with the results of physicists and logicians, and yet we're not arrived at a stage of full understanding. I admit I also like it simple and the thought of underdeterminsm is tempting. I always regarded Godel's work as The diagonal argument thought to the end.

 

[BillTre]

This alone would only lead to Descartes' determinism. However, we already know that this is wrong.

I don't follow your argument.
How is it that snowflake structure is not an emergent property and how is it leads to Descartes' determinism and how is it that we know this is wrong?
Perhaps there is some emergent property definition you are referring to.

 

[fresh_42]

I don't follow your argument.
How is it that snowflake structure is not an emergent property and how is it leads to Descartes' determinism and how is it that we know this is wrong?
Perhaps there is some emergent property definition you are referring to.

I've read your post as "with all variables given we could compute the shape of the flake"

The details of the resulting structure of a growing ice crystal (snowflake) would be determined by the detailed conditions of temperature and water molecule density and location at a micro-level among the already existing micro-structure of the nearby ice crystals.

which is a determinism argument, but I said I might have been misinterpreting it.