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Quick Thought on Probability and Randomness, Occam's Razor

Occam's Razor vs. Randomness

By bradwork1214@hotmail.com

Randomness is the new god. Well, I think so anyway. To explain the result of a quantum measurement where you can predict the probability of getting various results, but cannot predict which of them you will get, it seems reasonable to say that it appears random. But if you go on to add that it is random; that is to say, that the reason you got a result is inherently unknowable (i.e., metaphysical, not part of physics) -- that is an extra statement that does not explain anything new, hence could be removed by Occam's Razor. Not only that, but that extra statement completely changes the universe, whereas without randomness the universe was considered deterministic, with everything having a cause, with randomness, the universe is considered non-deterministic -- some things have no cause and are unknowable.

How can giving up like that be justified? Just to say that we know the answer? Just like they used to say, "God did it." shall we now say "It is random." ? How can any scientist say, "We know the answer, and the answer is that there is no answer"? How can any scientist say that something is unknowable, since there will never be any proof of that?

Quotation

If You don't have a future, You need to end the present.

James Robert Fellabaum

The arts of war

An excerpt from

Pasatiempo: News for Santa Fe and New Mexico

The arts of war

By Paul Weideman | The New Mexican

10/11/2007

Hayes Lewis was on his way home from Middle Village, the oldest section of Zuni Pueblo, when he saw something in the moonlit field. "I thought it was like a scarf on a bush," he said. "My dog started growling and I went over to it, and it just materialized into a small female figure. I looked at it for a while, and then it faded away." On his mother's advice, Lewis went to see his aunt Margaret Edaakie, a medicine woman. "She sat for a while, then said this was one of the spiritual beings that was going to look after me."

article continued at

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Pasatiempo/The_arts_of_war

Goodbye To The Man I Hardly Knew

Goodbye To The Man I Hardly Knew

This past Sunday, 15 July 2007 saw the passing of Uncle Tommy, my moms youngest brother. My uncle, and Catholic Godfather.  A man that unfortunately was kind of hard to get close to.  A man that more often than not I felt as a bothersome nuisance to and curtailed my occurence in his presence as I edged into my adulthood.  A man referred to my father as Gasoline Alley for no other reason than to stress the point that my father suffered immense grief and antagonism (mostly with good reason) from my mother when he was leaving to get a beer  while Uncle Tommy would tell his wife that he had to get gas.  And so, while I was not in his life, I was.  As he would come to visit I enjoyed my younger cousins checking out our massive electric road race and railroad set up in our basement. While Uncle Tommy would ride them about not touching anything, I didn't mind. They were fun to watch and I was glad they enjoyed the train sets.  A portion of the family that I felt estranged from. My older sister used to travel with them as Nanny in her teens. When my brother and I went to visit, it eventually ended in a fight with my brother ganging up on me to the amusement of the onlooking relatives.  And if not for the unconscious love I do hold for my brother, a baseball bat to the head or a tire iron to the leg would have ended, eventually, his sadistic ploy for attention. But, as far as Uncle Tommy was concerned, he was quite instructive in my life. While he never took me hunting, I learned about hunting from him. While I never had the opportunity to drive him to the American Legion for a shot and a beer as I had with my Uncle Bud, his oldest brother, and listen to war stories.  I had war stories and paraphenalia for in my closet was a Samurai sword from the days of the war.  Its gauze wrapped handle, its weight which I wielded from time to time and the visualizing of my uncle the paratrooper jumping from planes in World War II in the south of the Pacific.  There was the story of his waking to find that his group had their throats slit.  And later in life the story of the folding stock MI Carbine that paratroopers were issued as his weapon of choioce deer hunting.  How he would use a block of wood to create the legal limit permissable by law for firearms with large magazines.  Perhaps these stories along with the small one that came with G. I.  Joe is what prompted me to have to have one (different folding stock) later in life, bayonet and all.  I first learned about construction from my Uncle Tom. His large porch, a poured slab of concrete over the garage decorated with the imprint of wood and overlay of plastic during it's pouring.  And ultimately I learned from my Uncle that we did not stand a chance of ever having a tan in the summer as expressed by his, and Uncle Buds constant sunburn to theface. Along these lines, I even went on vacation with Uncle Tom. I learned that you can take boxes of cereal and other general foods for most meals while on trips.  And, along with the sunburn to the face, that an arm perched on the ledge of the car door for several hours of driving could become sunburned as well.  One of my first formal lessons in dating came from Uncle Tommy.  My sister related that at some young age Uncle Tommy appeared in a suit dreessed up ready to court a woman that would ultimately become the love of his life and his wife. While my sister was watering the yard, she got the idea to feign hosing him down to which my uncle retorted "Don't you dare" to which she did. Grabbing her, he swatted her each step of the way back to the house but later my future Aunt Joannie just would not believe that such a sweet girl could have done such a thing so he must be lying about being late. So I learned several lessons. One, never dare a woman not to do something. Two, never expect a woman to believe that some cute innocent little girl was the actual cause of your tardiness when in fact you should have never have been late to begin with. There was another story about a bride before going off to war and a family initiated annullment as it was believed that the no good witch only got married to get the GI insurance upon his death. So I learned that women were vile and full of treachery. I don't have many stories about Uncle Tommy as a young boy save perhaps getting my mom to ride her scooter down long halls of a large house on a farm in Evans City and crach into the wall at the end of the hall.  And, oh yes, hoping to get off to bootcamp before his father, my grandpap, discovered that he had damaged the driveshaft of transmission or something in the family car. Funny, he used to chatter about my cousing repeatedly tightening his motorcyclel chain. Guess apples don't fall far from trees. And aside from the sadness my mom probably feels from losing her last family member I note my own reaction. When my father passed, there was no sorrow per se.  I remember his comments while he lived with me and later that he had lived his life and that since a stroke that wouldn't allow him to read or speak coherently (not like when he had a few too many beers but would actually "wix his mords") that he just wanted to die. While my own father was rough and often crude, he was a lot of fun, and some of my cousins have often remined me of that. Uncle Bud, immobilized by Parkinsons late in life received a blessinng but with his passing a closure on a history book never to be reopened.  But for Uncle Tommy I am sad, and from the above commentary rightfully so.  As you can see, we enrich other lives and sometimes we don't even know we had.

The Lawyer Of Jesus Of Nazareth

In an era berfore the World Court, an era after the book of Judges and those corrupt at a time around thirty three A.D. a man has been singled out.  Before you stands a man.  A man, once idolized now persecuted.  A man singled out.  Singled out by a group.  A group that once followed, but now due attacks.  A group that lacks of fortitude.  One fearing retribution and thus buying into this trial.

As stated, there is no evidence against this man.  No evidence of treason.  No evidence that he is or ever will be a threat to the Empire of Rome.   In the Reagent's own words, "I leave his judgement in your hands."  In the hands of his accusers?  In the hands of that angry mob?  The mob.

What you see before you, do not take lightly.  For if so, you kill an innocent man.  You can deliver a verdict of innocence.  He is absolved of guilt by the Reagent, the highest of authority inthe area.  He denies any wrongdoing.  And for that, he stands accused...

To Be Coninued...

Final Answer?

What Is Meaning Of Life?...

To Learn The Meaning Of Your Death.

James Robert Fellabaum

A Note To College Students...

Most of the technology used on the job today wasn't even invented when I left High School.  Most of the jobs and businesses in existance at that time are no more.  My advice to you is simple.  You don't have to kill yourself to get through four years of college in two and a half or three.  Take five or six, work, have a jingle in your pocket and live your life too.  Take your time and enjoying life along the way. 

Things change so much, so fast, that the job paths of today seem to be the dead ends of tomorrow.

James Robert Fellabaum

Aphorism Of The Day

Economics are the prelude to history.

James Robert Fellabaum

Aphorism

"Live your life by following your principles, not indulging your urges".
James Robert Fellabaum

Memorable Quote

24 AUG 2005

"The ultimate realization of any truly great civilization is the neccesity of it's extinction."

James Robert Fellabaum