Huckleberry of Yore

Wouldn't gravity essentially "fade away" if every indivisible instance with mass were separated by space so that gravitational attraction would be negligible? I suppose that means each is separated from all others by an infinite space (or would it?). That's a lot of space but there seems to plenty of that.

You are no doubt more aware than I am of the difficulties in measuring things at the quantum level. Position versus momentum for example. But measurement implies a specific time of what the OP refers to as "change". Or is it time interval? When I consider the idea of "non-nowness" I often drift into the simulation theory of the universe; there might be a link to consider.

Based on just my 50+ years of observation I've decided that most likely Time is real and not an illusion, but Now most certainly is. I've pondered how to state this mathematically and what it really means. Others will probably just say it's gibberish but I've seen a lot of that recently here.

In the late 80's I became close friends with a guy that fled Iran after the revolution. After becoming a citizen he has consistently promoted Democrat candidates including Hillary in 2016. But, judging by his social media posts, he has gone all in for Trump. For economic reasons for sure, but he is definitely in favor of the Administration's treatment of Iran, including recent military actions. I know it's just a single case, but it's a fascinating perspective to consider in light of recent controversies.

Whenever I read about farfetched (hopefully) Constitutional crises, I'm reminded that few seem to understand that the ultimate power of the USA republic lies ultimately not in the 3 branches but rather in a supermajority of the state legislatures. Not a lawyer, but as I understand such a body trumps all others. (No pun intended.)

A lot of low carb treats contain "sugar alcohols" which I gather don't metabolize as sugar does, at least for some of them. Do these count as sugars? I'd guess yes but they don't count as digestible carbs. I've wondered if you ate enough would you get a buzz. Might have to eat several pounds so it's a non issue.

@Mordred, I followed your link and it appears to be broken. Do you have an alternative? Looks interesting. Thanks. http://www.einsteins-theory-of-relativity-4engineers.com/LightCone7/LightCone.html

Two of my favorites: "The Selfish Gene" and "Guns, Germs, and Steel".

More: https://www.nature.com/news/2005/050307/full/news050307-15.html https://www.sc.edu/uofsc/announcements/2014/05_sharondewitte_blackdeath_plosonejournal.php#.XhelXXdFx14 https://time.com/91315/the-medieval-black-death-made-you-healthier-if-you-survived/

A quick google search and I found: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/02/black-death-left-mark-human-genome I assumed this was somewhat common knowledge. If it is controversial or my understanding isn't backed up, I apologize. I am not a biologist.

One positive outcome of the Black Death hundreds of years ago is a more effective immune response carried in genes of the descendants of survivors. One might speculate that despite the mass death toll of the infection, subsequent generations "died less" than would have occurred if the pandemic had been circumvented by the eradication of the responsible pathogen. But I'd consider mosquito, housefly, tick....

This is from my commented code so someone with more statistics expertise than I can verify but.... Say the mean height of a population of people is 70 inches, and the standard deviation is 4.3 inches. Compute the probability that an individual of that population has a height greater than 70.5 inches: L=70; m=70.5; s=4.3; t = (L-m)/sqrt(2)/s P(x>70.5) = erf(t)/2+0.5 = 0.453716 = 45.37% BTW, rand/srand has been mentioned. Keep in mind that those functions emit pseudo random numbers with a flat distribution. To achieve a Gaussian distribution you would use the Central Value Theorem (already mentioned) by adding a series of rand() return values which in the limit should be normal.

Also from Wikipedia: "...error function has the following interpretation: for a random variable Y that is normally distributed with mean 0 and variance 1/2, erf(x) is the probability of Y falling in the range [−x, x]." I'm no expert but I believe the utility of erf() lies in the fact that using simple arithmetic one can derive probabilities for arbitrary mean and standard deviation. The mean is fairly obvious, erf(x-3) moves the mean to x=3. The standard deviation involves a scale factor if I recall correctly. So let's say you have a measurement with mean=10 and standard deviation of 1 you can use erf to answer questions like: what is the probability of a given measurement is <10.1 and > 9.9. I wrote some code a while back to generate random numbers given a mean and standard deviation and used erf() to check the results.

A close acquaintance suffers from occasional but severe depression where he essentially craves death. He says, though, alcohol provides immediate relief. He's gone through a long list of antidepressants most of which made things worse. Last I heard he thought he found one that works for him, but haven't touched base to see how things are progressing.

I'd like to think so, but isn't some recent research suggesting a life of occasional anti-biotic use has messed with people's gut population? In fact, a recent article talked about finding "super poopers", people with ideal strains, species who could serve as donors for people with various health problems. Fecal implants, right? Maybe I need that. lol

Yeah, OK, I suppose you are right. I grew up on the farm, and back then our standards were lacking compared to today. If there is a climate change tie in to your experiment, you'll probably get a good grade. Best advice I can give is to discuss with the teacher or other faculty.

Edit: I meant to say "solar system could SEED life somewhere"

I'd mention too that when I had my bad reaction to pot in Amsterdam, I had not been drinking.

Well, I do. I enjoy drinking beer, regularly. My ancestors apparently adapted to it, so I can enjoy it so far without problems. As my ancestors unfortunately also gave me a tendency for cancer, it is conceivable that I may at some point be prescribed cannabis. Based on my experience I would reject it, but that might change. Ok, I understand. I think the "old saying" is usually applied to drugs other than alcohol, but I take your point. You may be right. However, I would point out that in my very limited experience with pot in the 80s I did experience anxiety attacks for the first time, and on at last one occasion I became very paranoid after smoking a little bit of weed. (Thought the cops were hiding outside.) I have family members that have reported similar outcomes. It maybe that different genetic backgrounds react differently. Again, refer to the "old saying".

To be clear, I didn't make that claim. I think the fellow across the counter gunned for me, probably had a good laugh. I was so gullible, I thought there was just pot, not knowing there were various strains/strengths. So I learned several lessons from that experience.

Not in my case. However, studies have linked THC to mental health issues, such as schizophrenia. Also THC is characterized to be a "mild" hallucinogen ala LSD. I took just two drags on that joint and nearly committed suicide; also, I have no way of knowing what the long term effects may be. If I drank two shots of everclear, I'd likely vomit and/or pass out. The old saying must apply to me: reality is for people that can't handle drugs.

OK. But did you see my suggestion that life spreads from Earth throughout the galaxy and beyond? Of course, that is probably just science fiction, although you could argue that microbes on any of space vehicles leaving the solar system could see life somewhere else a billion years from now. Also, consider the 150 or so light years of radio transmission that grows daily and indicates our existence to more and more of the galactic neighborhood. It's not much, but it is something.

Having a Republican governor doesn't guarantee a Red state. I don't think anyone would claim either Illinois or New Jersey as red. I just looked at those two and their legislatures are comprised of near super majorities by democrats. I live in state where past governors with R beside their names were "in name only". Since it is opinion it is to be rejected out of hand? Per the moderator's request, I added information backing my position. But the same moderator has chided me for not staying on topic, so feel free to start another topic. On topic: according to CNBC this morning, 74% of companies reporting profits recently are beating estimates. That is regarded as positive economic news. As I write, I see Apple reported earnings, and the stock is up 4% in after hours. And as I have shared previously, GDP growth is expected soon, and is expected to be a healthy 2.9%.

Having enjoyed pot a handful of times in college (mid 80s), about 20 years ago on layover in Amsterdam I went to the coffee shop and asked for a joint. It was my birthday. Got lots of food and went to my hotel room to have fun. Huge disaster, after an intensely painful hour, I was finally able to summon a doctor. I am very fortunate I did not jump out the fifth story window. But my take on drugs is: legalize them all, don't tax them, and NOBODY USE THEM. For me, keep your drugs, I'll stick to drinking beer.

My pleasure, glad to oblige. I was just afraid you might chide me for going off topic again. https://www.investors.com/politics/commentary/best-run-states-are-all-solidly-republican-worst-run-mostly-democratic-study-finds/ https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/exclusive-new-study-finds-red-states-have-best-economic-outlook-in-2018