That is: before my stroke I was working up to sufficient repetitions of each Rite, but I never got there because I couldn\u2019t do enough in proper form. I had the strength, probably \u2013 no, almost certainly \u2013 so I was letting myself go with what I thought was a good excuse. After the stroke I missed the Rites \u2013 couldn\u2019t even get down on the floor, or get up if I did, and the thought of doing Rite One was absurd. But after watching Hugh Howie, I decided that I had always had better form than him and he was getting through all of them just as he could. Amber has better form than I will ever have. They both do this daily and speak highly of it, and they aren\u2019t the only ones I respect who do \u2013 after all, it was Steve Barnes who introduced me to this rather obscure ritual, years ago, and it has served me well for years.<\/p>\n
The result is that I do 21 repetitions of each Rite daily. The first few are in reasonable form, and I am working hard to get all of them right; but when I can\u2019t do it in good form, I don\u2019t quit. I just do what I can in good form, and get through 21 no matter how hard it is \u2013 or how long it takes, which, I fear, is one reason I haven\u2019t written much here this week. (The other is that my typing is getting sloppy again; Microsoft has said they are shipping the Pro 4 keyboard, which looks good for correcting some of that, but really, it\u2019s as Dr. Lupo, the Rehab doctor at Holy Cross where I learned to be something other than a vegetable after the stroke says, \u201cpractice makes perfect.\u201d He was talking about just swallowing my breakfast, but I since found that one of the most useful bits of advice I have ever had.)<\/p>\n
I will add that before the stroke, the Five Tibetans were pretty well good enough for all my formal exercise, but I did a lot of walking \u2013 a couple of miles a day \u2013 and my office was upstairs so I climbed those stairs many times a day. Now I don\u2019t, and I find that even with the Five Tibetans daily I need more exercise \u2013 walks with my walker, formal exercise, etc. \u2013 to keep from turning into a vegetable. Now that we don\u2019t have a dog, it\u2019s easy to forget to take a morning walk, and the consequences can be grave. Pity, but there it is. I\u2019m working on a new schedule. <\/p>\n
One thing that would help is the right device for Audible and other audible books; I need to listen to some of my own since we are writing in that universe. Suggestions on the right equipment for an hour a day walk in a walker while listening to a book \u2013 equipment suitable for someone with Costco hearing aids \u2013 appreciated. Thanks in advance; I\u2019ll read it all, but I may not be able to answer every email. Please use subject \u201caudible book reading.\u201d I suppose I should add that Audible has done a good job of publishing Legacy of Heorot<\/a><\/em> and Beowulf\u2019s Children<\/a><\/em> as audio books. They\u2019re free on a special promotion just now, and very well done.<\/p>\n I have two comments on the paucity of posts this week. First, unfortunately this begins Pledge Week for KUSC, the LA good music station. It began Thursday, and runs until next Saturday. Long time readers will know that signals my own pledge drive. I run this place on the same model as KUSC: it\u2019s free, but like Public Radio, if it doesn\u2019t get support from users it will go away. That\u2019s not immanent, as it happens, but it\u2019s possible. In addition to the comments and essays, I read a lot of mail from readers, publish what I think is pertinent \u2013 usually with what I hope are intelligent comments \u2013 and encourage rational discussions, some of which I edit into publishable exchanges.<\/p>\n I also go through more press releases than I normally would, and tease out some that I think are worth your attention. That includes product announcements. I sometimes send email to the Platinum list; never more than one a day, always about something interesting; I can\u2019t and wouldn\u2019t send email to all patrons or readers, because it would be far too many.<\/p>\n Mostly I encourage rational discussion, including disagreements.<\/p>\n All of this takes up time.<\/p>\n The KUSC practice is to have their music program announcers vamp through pitches on why you should subscribe at $15 to $150 a month, and to give away prizes like free records — well Cd\u2019s \u2013 well, DVD\u2019s \u2013 prizes anyway, for subscribing NOW. I don\u2019t ask for anything like that much. You and find out more at Paying For This Place http:\/\/www.jerrypournelle.com\/paying.html<\/a> which tells all. If you\u2019re curious as to what this place is, http:\/\/www.jerrypournelle.com\/<\/a> has a lot of information.<\/p>\n So the pledge drive comes at an awkward moment when I was less productive than usual, but there it is. If you have been reading this for a while and just haven\u2019t got around to subscribing, http:\/\/www.jerrypournelle.com\/paying.html<\/a> will tell you more than you need to know. If you\u2019ve subscribed but can\u2019t remember when you last renewed, it\u2019s probably time to renew. Go to http:\/\/www.jerrypournelle.com\/paying.html<\/a> and get it over with. It doesn\u2019t take long.<\/p>\n And if you\u2019ve recently renewed, as many of you have, I thank you.<\/p>\n I regret to announce:<\/p>\n Maureen O’Hara, RIP.<\/p>\n <http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/obituaries\/la-me-maureen-ohara-20151025-story.html<\/a>><\/p>\n —————————————<\/p>\n Roland Dobbins<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n I enjoyed her pictures a lot. RIP<\/p>\n Some residuum on the Dyson Sphere matter:<\/p>\n Jerry:<\/p>\n I was delighted to see my amateur musings on Dyson spheres in correspondence with Ms. Osborn reproduced on your website.<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.jerrypournelle.com\/chaosmanor\/dyson-spheres-and-the-mile-high-club\/<\/a><\/p>\n IMHO, our failure to detect communications from the star does not preclude the possibility that this is a Dyson sphere or other megastructure because it is predicated on the premises that the aliens use a communication medium that we can detect. This argument is akin to Neolithic savages concluding that a modern city can not be an artificial construct rather than a natural feature because they haven’t seen any smoke signals or heard any drums. If the aliens rely on anything as mundane as tight beam lasers or fiber optics for communication, we will not detect them.<\/p>\n The absence of IR radiation to compensate for the decrease in emissions in the visible spectrum is the most compelling argument against the idea that the star is being occluded by an artificial structure. However; this argument is less compelling if the star is being periodically occluded by a megastructure that only partially occludes the star. How about a really big light said that is being launched towards Earth?<\/p>\n Finally, it is a fallacy to assume that a Dyson sphere or other megahabitat should be built at the same orbital radius from the star as the home planet of the builders. Because the radiating surface of a planet is four times greater than the instellation surface, a planet is on average much cooler than a flat surface that constantly faces the star would be. A Dyson sphere might and probably should be built at a greater distance from the star than the home planet. Of course Ms. Osborn is correct that a Dyson sphere or a “Bowl of Heaven” would collapse under a star’s gravity unless the materials were astonishingly strong. Even Niven’s Ringworld would experience substantial gravitational force transverse to it’s circumference that would compress it into a string. An armada of lightsails that enclose a star and use light pressure to support themselves is possible, but a large number of collectors in carefully orchestrated and actively managed orbits is more plausible.<\/p>\n James Crawford=<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Orbital Rings and Dyson Spheres Still yet more thoughts on Dyson Spheres<\/p>\n As regards whether it is more efficient to build a “Dyson Sphere” around a star, or engage in interstellar colonization, here’s something else to think about. TG<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Russia Hit the Iceberg<\/p>\n I guess when things get crazy, you go to what you know:<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/finance\/economics\/11937348\/Russia-retreats-to-autarky-as-poverty-looms.html<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/stalin-portraits-soviet-nostalgia-rule-ukraines-rebel-regions-052534004.html<\/a><\/p>\n It’s over. If we can’t get something worked out with Russia now or very soon, it seems we’ll need to pass through another round of unpleasantness before we sit down and look at this again. Your thoughts?<\/p>\n \u25ca \u25ca \u25ca \u25ca \u25ca<\/p>\n Most Respectfully,<\/p>\n Joshua Jordan, KSC<\/p>\n Percussa Resurgo<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n My thought? This was predictable and predicted. When Clinton let us get into the anti-Slav position in Europe, endorsing Albanian thugs rather than Serbian thugs and bombing Slavic Serbs and destroying the economy of the lower Danube, what did he expect to happen? NATO closed an iron ring around Russia. The US continues with entangling alliances and concerns itself with the territorial disputes in Europe that have gone on for hundreds of years, and now we wonder what is happening?<\/p>\n Assad and the Kurds are tolerant of Christians. (And Jordan, which is probably the next Arab state to fall despite last minute US efforts taken when we suddenly realize the problem.) The Caliphate is not, nor are most of the Sunni rebels. Russia has always had an interest in the Middle East, particularly Persia; we are astonished that this interest continues? They do not require history in most of the major universities; what would you predict that does for foreign policy?<\/p>\n It is a bit late now to invest our money in energy production and tell the Arabs to drink their oil, but it is perhaps not too late\u2026<\/p>\n Of course Russia will become an autarky. What incentives have we ever given Russian patriots to do otherwise?<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s an invasion map, you wouldn\u2019t show the bus stations.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a map for when you\u2019re in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n <http:\/\/www.wired.com\/2015\/07\/secret-cold-war-maps\/<\/a>><\/p>\n —————————————<\/p>\n Roland Dobbins<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Surprise!<\/p>\n Quantum Theory Experiment Said to Prove \u2018Spooky\u2019 Interactions (nyt)<\/b><\/p>\n By JOHN MARKOFF<\/a>OCT. 21, 2015 <\/p>\n In a landmark study, scientists at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands reported they have conducted an experiment they say proves one of the most fundamental claims of quantum theory \u2014 that objects separated by great distance can instantaneously affect each other\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n The finding is another blow to one of the bedrock principles of standard physics known as \u201clocality,\u201d which states that an object is directly influenced only by its immediate surroundings. The Delft study<\/a>, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, lends further credence to an idea that Einstein famously rejected. He said quantum theory necessitated \u201cspooky action at a distance,\u201d and he refused to accept the notion that the universe could behave in such a strange and apparently random fashion.<\/p>\n In particular, Einstein derided the idea that separate particles could be \u201centangled\u201d so completely that measuring one particle would instantaneously influence the other, regardless of the distance separating them.<\/p>\n Einstein was deeply unhappy with the uncertainty introduced by quantum theory and described the implications of quantum theory as akin to God playing dice.<\/p>\n But since the 1970’s, a series of precise experiments by physicists are increasingly erasing doubt \u2014 alternative explanations that are referred to as loopholes \u2014 that two previously entangled particles, even if separated by the width of the universe, could instantly communicate.<\/p>\n The new experiment, conducted by a group led by Ronald Hanson, a physicist at the Dutch university\u2019s Kavli Institute of Nanoscience<\/a>, and joined by scientists from Spain and England, is the strongest evidence yet to support the most fundamental claims of the theory of quantum mechanics about the existence of an odd world formed by a fabric of subatomic particles, where matter does not take form until it is observed and time runs backward as well as forward.<\/p>\n The researchers describe their experiment as a \u201cloophole-free Bell test\u201d in a reference to an experiment proposed in 1964 by the physicist John Stewart Bell<\/a> as a way of proving that \u201cspooky action at a distance\u201d is real.<\/p>\n \u201cThese tests have been done since the late \u201970s but always in the way that additional assumptions were needed,\u201d Dr. Hanson said. \u201cNow we have confirmed that there is spooky action at distance.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the scientists they have now ruled out all possible so-called hidden variables that would offer explanations of long-distance entanglement based on the laws of classical physics.<\/p>\n The Delft researchers were able to entangle two electrons separated by a distance of 1.3 kilometers, slightly less than a mile, and then share information between them. Physicists use the term \u201centanglement\u201d to refer to pairs of particles that are generated in such a way that they cannot be described independently. The scientists placed two diamonds on opposite sides of the Delft University campus, 1.3 kilometers apart.<\/p>\n Each diamond contained a tiny trap for single electrons, which have a magnetic property called a \u201cspin.\u201d Pulses of microwave and laser energy are then used to entangle and measure the \u201cspin\u201d of the electrons.<\/p>\n The distance \u2014 with detectors set on opposite sides of the campus \u2014 ensured that information could not be exchanged by conventional means within the time it takes to do the measurement.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is a beautiful and ingenuous experiment and it will help to push the entire field forward,\u201d said David Kaiser, a physicist at M.I.T., who was not involved in the study. However, Dr. Kaiser, who is with another group of physicists who are preparing to perform an even more ambitious experiment next year that will soon measure light captured at the far edges of the universe, also said he did not think every scintilla of doubt had been erased by the Dutch experiment.<\/p>\n The tests take place in a mind-bending and peculiar world. According to quantum mechanics, particles do not take on formal properties until they are measured or observed in some way. Until then, they can exist simultaneously in two or more places. Once measured, however, they snap into a more classical reality, existing in only one place.<\/p>\n Beyond the immediate result, physicists noted that the experiment represented an advance in the understanding of a Lilliputian world that was once largely the province of theory. Quantum mechanics has already had a huge impact on modern technology and industry. For example, it is the foundation for modern computers and lasers.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I do find interesting is that the experimenters are learning how to manipulate quantum systems, and do experiments that are far beyond what was possible when I was starting in physics,\u201d said Leonard Susskind, a theoretical physicist at Stanford. \u201cThings which were at best \u2018thought experiments\u2019 become possible, then routine. That is incredibly impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, the experiment is not merely a vindication for the exotic theory of quantum mechanics, it is a step toward a practical application known as a \u201cquantum Internet.\u201d Currently the security of the Internet and the electronic commerce infrastructure is fraying in the face of powerful computers that pose a challenge to encryption technologies based on the ability to factor large numbers and other related strategies.<\/p>\n Researchers like Dr. Hanson envision a quantum communications network formed from a chain of entangled particles girdling the entire globe. Such a network would make it possible to securely share encryption keys, and know of eavesdropping attempts with absolute certainty.<\/p>\n For some physicists, even though the new experiment claims to be \u201cloophole free,\u201d the matter is not yet completely closed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe experiment has closed two of the three major loopholes beautifully, but two out of three isn\u2019t three,\u201d Dr. Kaiser said. \u201cI believe in my bones that quantum mechanics is the correct description of nature. But to make the strongest statement, frankly we\u2019re not there.\u201d<\/p>\n A potential weakness of the experiment, he suggested, is that an electronic system the researchers used to add randomness to their measurement may in fact be predetermined in some subtle way that is not easily detectable, meaning that the outcome might still be predetermined as Einstein believed.<\/p>\n To attempt to overcome this weakness and close what they believe is a final loophole, the National Science Foundation has funded a group of physicists led by Dr. Kaiser and Alan H. Guth, also at M.I.T., to attempt an experiment that will have a better chance of ensuring the complete independence of the measurement detectors by gathering light from distance objects on different sides of the galaxy next year, and then going a step further by capturing the light from objects known as quasars near the edge of the universe in 2017 and 2018.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Quantum Theory Experiment Said to Prove \u2018Spooky\u2019 Interactions (NY Times)<\/p>\n Think about three positions: A, B, and C.<\/p>\n A is the place where the two entangled particles come from.<\/p>\n B and C are the current locations of the particles.<\/p>\n There\u2019s definitely no way to get the particles from location A to locations B and C faster than the speed of light.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also no way to influence the state of either particle at locations B or C from location A at any speed.<\/p>\n That\u2019s old news.<\/p>\n As far as I know, there\u2019s still no way to control the state of the particle at B from location C or vice-versa.<\/p>\n While an event at position B can cause a change at position C, there\u2019s no way to control or predict what that change is or will be, so no way to use the change to communicate any information.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s just my own interpretation. You probably have real physicists among your readers, so I suggest you pose that question on the website and see how they respond.<\/p>\n Best,<\/p>\n . png<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Meanwhile, on the subject of spooky:<\/p>\n ‘The researchers demonstrated that they were able to suppress quantum tunneling merely by observing the atoms.’<\/p>\n <http:\/\/www.news.cornell.edu\/stories\/2015\/10\/zeno-effect-verified-atoms-wont-move-while-you-watch<\/a>><\/p>\n —————————————<\/p>\n Roland Dobbins<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n What’s going on with El Nino…<\/p>\n …and the real (okay, probable) effect on the weather. This is a good article; the writer had his head on his shoulders, logicked his way through, and gathered some very good statistics.<\/p>\n http:\/\/blogs.discovermagazine.com\/imageo\/2015\/10\/14\/godzilla-the-blob-son-of-blob-el-nino-reality-check\/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DSC_News_151022_Final&utm_content=&spMailingID=23815290&spUserID=MTE2MDc4MjYyNjg3S0&spJobID=662308129&spReportId=NjYyMzA4MTI5S0#5468<\/a><\/p>\n Basically what’s happening, insofar as I can tell, is that the strength of the El Nino is throwing off the circulations in the Pacific, resulting in The Blob and Son of Blob. I make no claims to expertise on this, but that’s what it looks like to me. “The Interstellar Woman of Mystery”<\/strong><\/p>\n Prepare for a wild winter.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In unexpected discovery, comet contains alcohol, sugar – Yahoo News India<\/p>\n Jerry:<\/p>\n It sounds like the ingredients to a good cocktail.<\/p>\n https:\/\/in.news.yahoo.com\/unexpected-discovery-comet-contains-alcohol-182309427.html<\/a><\/p>\n James Crawford=<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Unsurprising but possibly of interest:<\/p>\n www.climatedepot.com\/2015\/09\/20\/update-leader-of-effort-to-prosecute-skeptics-under-rico-paid-himself-his-wife-1-5-million-from-govt-climate-grants-for-part-time-work\/<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Freedom is not free. Free men are not equal. Equal men are not free.<\/p>\n Chaos Manor View, Saturday, October 24, 2015 I\u2019ve been busy with fiction and other stuff for days. I have also been faithfully doing the Five Tibetan Rites daily, which is good for me but tiring. If you don\u2019t know about The Five Tibetan Rites, you should learn; they may not \u2026 Continue reading ![\"bubbles\"](\"https:\/\/www.jerrypournelle.com\/chaosmanor\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/bubbles.gif\")
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\nA couple of possible “engineering” counter-points to some of the “science” objections raised against orbital rings and Dyson spheres:
\nCircular Orbital rings:
\nMore of a question than a point – might an orbital ring be maintained in a circular orbit using electromagnetic interaction with the sun’s magnetosphere? The magnetic field is weak, but the size of the coils could be huge, and there should be plentiful solar power to feed the coils. Continuous maintenance of a circular orbit ought to require much less power than attempts to restore circularity from an elliptical orbit. If it is workable, it would eliminate most of the requirement for reaction mass.
\nDyson Sphere radiation detection:
\nIf the Builders wished to minimize their IR signature in most directions, it should be possible to direct their IR radiation mostly in two opposing directions, for example along a line perpendicular to the galactic plane.
\nFor simplicity of terminology, think of the sphere as having an “up\/down” orientation. Directed IR radiation could be accomplished by making the surface a series of stair-steps – with “horizontal” surfaces highly conductive while “vertical” surfaces are highly insulated, forcing most IR radiation into the “vertical” directions. Seen exactly edge on, there would be very little IR radiation, increasing at higher angles. The directional effect might be further enhanced by putting the radiating surfaces in insulated wells.
\nTom Craver<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\nConsider the information transmission time between different elements of a civilization that are separated by A. Dyson sphere: light minutes B. Interstellar colony: dozens\/hundreds of light years. Now think about how fast information can spread, and how rich\/vital the respective civilizations might be…
\nIf the neurons of a human brain could be separated by hundreds of kilometers from each other, but the same pattern of connections maintained, and the absolute transmission speed is the same, it would be as smart… but way, way, slower.
\nAlso, as regards colonization as a solution to a population problem: Nah. As Asimov pointed out, if population doubled every 47 years (it recently doubled every 18 years in Syria!) it would take only 6700 years to convert all the matter in the universe into human flesh. So the answer to population growth is neither interstellar colonization nor Dyson spheres, but population growth restraint (which may be either the easy way or, like recent Syria, the hard way). If civilizations do build things like Dyson Spheres, surely it will be to increase the richness of the culture\/total computational power, not deal with an exponentially growing population, because in a finite universe that’s impossible. The issue is not ‘efficiency’ per se, but what you hope to achieve…<\/p>\n<\/p> \n\n
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\nStephanie Osborn<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p> \n\n
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