I read this abstract (the link was provided here) and I stumble over this sentence: "...it also bypasses the problem of disastrous retrodictions, that is, the fact the standard equilibrium measures yield high probability of the system being in equilibrium in the recent past, even when we know otherwise."
How do we know otherwise?
This is the one question which puzzles me the most when thinking about statistical mechanics, the arrow of time and all that.
I guess I should read the whole thing.
raising the debt ceiling no longer necessary
"..it turns out that under federal law, there's a limit to how much paper money we can have in circulation at any time.
However, there's no limit to the amount of coinage we can make. There are rules that limit what we can do with gold, silver, copper, and other metals. However, 31 U.S.C. Section 5112(k) says that we can print platinum coins in any denomination at our discretion [..]
So we told the Mint to make a couple of trillion dollar platinum coins. Then, if the President gives the order, the Mint deposits the two coins in its account at the Federal Reserve. The coins are legal tender. We direct the Federal Reserve to move this money into the Treasury's accounts, and we are up around two trillion dollars."
Obama's top secret plan revealed on a blog (where else).
ps: With all we have seen recently, one cannot rule out that this actually is the plan ...
However, there's no limit to the amount of coinage we can make. There are rules that limit what we can do with gold, silver, copper, and other metals. However, 31 U.S.C. Section 5112(k) says that we can print platinum coins in any denomination at our discretion [..]
So we told the Mint to make a couple of trillion dollar platinum coins. Then, if the President gives the order, the Mint deposits the two coins in its account at the Federal Reserve. The coins are legal tender. We direct the Federal Reserve to move this money into the Treasury's accounts, and we are up around two trillion dollars."
Obama's top secret plan revealed on a blog (where else).
ps: With all we have seen recently, one cannot rule out that this actually is the plan ...
stupid puzzle
What mathematical symbol can you place between the numbers 3 and 6 to get a number bigger than 3 but smaller than 6 ?
spoiler alert: the answer is in the comments
spoiler alert: the answer is in the comments
what i am currently reading
Kurt Binder: Monte Carlo Simulation in Statistical Physics
The maestro of phase transitions wrote an introduction on how to do Monte Carlo simulations.
John Kerr: A Most Dangerous Method
I did not know that Jung did quite a bit of empirical research of the unconscious, using e.g. association experiments (including statistics, although the book does not go into details about that).
Christian v. Ditfurth: Mann ohne Makel
A German murder mystery, with a historian as the 'detective'. Not a bad plot, but one problem imho is the simple fact that the Nazi history is too far in the past by now for this story to be really plausible. So the main villain is a former Gestapo man who must be in his mid-90s - but he seems to be in good health, killing several people and managing to escape the police in a car chase...
The maestro of phase transitions wrote an introduction on how to do Monte Carlo simulations.
John Kerr: A Most Dangerous Method
I did not know that Jung did quite a bit of empirical research of the unconscious, using e.g. association experiments (including statistics, although the book does not go into details about that).
Christian v. Ditfurth: Mann ohne Makel
A German murder mystery, with a historian as the 'detective'. Not a bad plot, but one problem imho is the simple fact that the Nazi history is too far in the past by now for this story to be really plausible. So the main villain is a former Gestapo man who must be in his mid-90s - but he seems to be in good health, killing several people and managing to escape the police in a car chase...
the wait has ended
About twenty years ago, when Windows was an unstable 16-bit DOS application, I installed Linux for the first time (from a stack of floppy discs known as TAMU release). I was not completely sure if this was the best choice, because I had read that GNU Hurd was right around the corner - probably the best OS ever conceived and perhaps it was better to wait until it became available.
.
.
I just read that "GNU Hurd is now expected to be released ... towards the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013". But it seems that a CD set is already available for download - I guess for the early adopters.
.
.
I just read that "GNU Hurd is now expected to be released ... towards the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013". But it seems that a CD set is already available for download - I guess for the early adopters.
the sieve
Fellow Austrian Niko Alm was finally granted, after three years in court (including a psychological examination 8-), the right to wear a pasta sieve for his driver's license picture. He is probably the only European proudly displaying his Pastafari religion in an official EU document.
(The whole thing started as a protest when muslim women were granted an exception for wearing head scarves in such pictures.)
what do you think?
the original
Is everything falling apart, or is there some reason for hope?
Please post a comment (especially) if you see some reason for optimism!
knots
Peter Woit read a book which suggests some parallels between the 'vortex theory' of the late 19th century and string theory. There is actually an interesting facet to this story: According to Wikipedia, Lord Kelvin's vortex theory motivated Peter Guthrie Tait to create the first systematic tables of knots and thus the birth of knot theory.
Quite a bit later, Ed Witten made important contributions to knot theory and found a new description of the Jones polynomial; He is of course the grandmaster of string theory.
Quite a bit later, Ed Witten made important contributions to knot theory and found a new description of the Jones polynomial; He is of course the grandmaster of string theory.
quasi-random observations
In Portugal, yoghurt of different flavors is always white (at least for the brand they had at our hotel); E.g. the strawberry yoghurt tastes like strawberry and the taste is pretty much like everywhere else, but the yoghurt is white; A strange experience for somebody who is used to strawberry yoghurt being red.
They built a lot of new infrastructure since the last time I visited Porto/Portugal more than ten years ago; New highways, a new metro system, new buildings and a new airport. The airport was quite empty by the way, so perhaps they built it too big. I hear they have a debt problem in Portugal now...
At this airport I saw really weird fog on the day I left. It was about 1/2 meter above the ground and looked like a Hollywood effect in an old horror movie. Perhaps a meteorologist (CIP?) can explain to me how this kind of fog actually happens.
Changing planes in Madrid we were delayed for about 15 minutes due to a problem with a door. Not the door of the plane, but a door on the way to the tunnel to the plane. It took a lot of frantic phone calls but finally the issue was resolved by getting a guy who would hold the door open for us passengers during the boarding process 8-)
They built a lot of new infrastructure since the last time I visited Porto/Portugal more than ten years ago; New highways, a new metro system, new buildings and a new airport. The airport was quite empty by the way, so perhaps they built it too big. I hear they have a debt problem in Portugal now...
At this airport I saw really weird fog on the day I left. It was about 1/2 meter above the ground and looked like a Hollywood effect in an old horror movie. Perhaps a meteorologist (CIP?) can explain to me how this kind of fog actually happens.
Changing planes in Madrid we were delayed for about 15 minutes due to a problem with a door. Not the door of the plane, but a door on the way to the tunnel to the plane. It took a lot of frantic phone calls but finally the issue was resolved by getting a guy who would hold the door open for us passengers during the boarding process 8-)
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