Reason

Anger

2010-06-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

I consider myself a rational person. I generally have the ability to discuss and debate issues without getting too emotionally involved or taking personal offense. But lately I find myself struggling more and more with the temptation of being angry at those who disagree with me, particularly when it comes to politics. I know why it is.

I'm not tempted to get angry at someone who doesn't know any better, or is simply confused. What makes me angry is willful ignorance and refusal to deal with obvious truth. It makes me particularly angry if someone else's willful ignorance drags others around them into disaster. and why does that bother me? I think at the root of it is the fact that they are clinging to an ideology that is diametrically opposed to my beliefs. That is really what willful ignorance is. It's holding on to an idea or principle so tightly that you ignore obvious truth. Ultimately people are willfully ignorant because they would rather accept the consequences of their ideas than face the consequences of admitting that they were wrong. It's what the Bible calls foolishness.

That refusal to hear reason is really what angers me. It's like trying to convince a brick wall that it's been build crooked. It will not hear you, and will not be convinced until it finally collapses under the weight of it's own faulty foundation.

But why does the refusal to hear reason bother me so much? I think it comes down to my own pride. By refusing to hear reason, they are essentially refusing to recognize my relevance, or even my existence. That is why I have no problem discussing things and debating things with someone who really wishes to discuss and debate. There is a mutual recognition there that the other person's ideas and arguments are relevant, even if I do not agree with them.

So what's the right response? Well, it's not anger. That's for sure. Anger just provides them opportunity to attack you and turn it against you. I think there is a time to walk away from an arguement, which I'm not very good at. It comes back to what proverbs says about answering a fool according to his folley. At times it is necessary in order to rebuke him and (hopefully) teach him wisdom. But if you allow him to pull you into his arena, then you will only hurt yourself and your cause.

938 Billion

2010-05-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

That's the CBO's estimated 10 year cost for the Health care bill that was passed. And the last time they over estimated the cost...never. More likely it will be in the range of 1.5-2 trillion. But assuming they're right, let me put that in perspective. That's enough to fund NASA for 90 years.

Also realize, that is not the total the government is spending on healthcare/medicare/medicaid. That's just the cost of this bill.

And for anyone that is shocked by the 13 Trillion dollar debt our country has amassed, chew on this. That's a phony number. it's actually only a small fraction of our true debt. Including unfunded liabilities (google this, if you don't know what it is) our national debt amounts to more than $60 Billion dollars. What does this mean? a lot of things...but it plane as day means that neither you nor I will receive social security, or medicare. (two of the biggest unfunded obligations.

One more economic nightmare. Social security's "security" over the next 30 years was based on a fund that have been stocked with surplus social security payments over the last 30ish years. Basically the government has been taking more in SS taxes than they were paying out, and investing that money in an account so that when the ballance shifts (as it will) to paying more than they are taking in, they will have a fund to ballance it for a while. It was announced recently that that fund has one thing in it. I bunch of IOU's from the federal government which has "borrowed" that money to help their bottom line in other areas.

I haven't posted in a while. There's a subject I've been mulling over, but have not determined the best way to tackle it yet. I'll be back soon.

The Man Behind William Wallace

2010-04-26T16:21:00.001-07:00

Every time I watch Braveheart, or any such movie where the noble hero sacrifices all for love and country, I ask myself: Could I do that? Could I hold to principle so dearly, and to life so loosely, that I would be willing to be the tragic hero, to suffer the most agonizing pains for that which I hold dear. I only recently realized that I was asking myself the wrong question. The question isn't whether I could be William Wallace, the question is whether I could be the man behind him. You know, the one you only see in a passing shot, out of focus in the background, and then a few moments later see struck down by an arrow before he had the opportunity to strike his first blow. You don't know his name, and hardly feel all that sad that he perishes. Scotland wasn't won primarily by the likes of Wallace, but by the common people standing up and being willing to sacrifice, not for glory, and not to be remembered for all of history, but simply for what they believed in.

I don't really doubt that I could hold firm if I knew that the eyes of a nation were on me, but I much more doubt my ability to hold firm if I know that, should I die, no one but my family will ever know the difference. And even most of them will have forgotten within a few generations. Next time you watch Braveheart (and I recommend you watch it at LEAST once a year), ask yourself that. Cause that's what it takes to purchase freedom.

"In the year of our Lord 1314. Patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen. And won their freedom."

Think about it.

The Logical Conclusion

2010-04-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

About sixty years ago John Nash published a paper called "Equilibrium Points in N-Person Games". This paper changed modern economic theory in a very real way. While I certainly can't claim to fully understand his theories, and definitely can not explain that theory, I'm intrigued by the interaction between his theories, and the debates raging in our governmental system right now.

Someone who understands this better may correct me on my explanation of Nash Equilibrium here, but let me try to explain it to you in terms of a two person "game". Each person has a set of "positions" which he may select from, and each combination (from the two players) of positions, entails a certain pay off for each player. (winnings or losses) The players alternate turns changing their position, each attempting to maximize his payoff. A Nash Equilibrium of pure strategies exists if there is a position from which neither player wishes to move. In other words bother players have maximized their payoff. The key point is that it is not their maximum theoretical payoff. (Player A may be able to earn a higher pay off if he could force Player B to chose a position that was less advantageous to Player B) He has maximized his realizable payoff. For instance, if you are maxing a widget, you calculate that your max profit not based on what it would be if you could control the price charged you by your material suppliers, but based on the prices which the material supplier specifies for you.

That is Nash Equilibrium in a very very simplified form that does not deal with mixed strategies and many other subtleties, but hopefully will be sufficiently clear to support the following discussion. In a nut shell, Nash's theory says that the best possible outcome is not achieved by an individual player maximizing his own output, but by maximizing his own out put, and all the other players outputs.

Now from an economic standpoint, this is hugely beneficial. It is really a statement of the simple (and in my opinion obvious) fact that things work out better for everyone else when people cooperate. When to countries sit down reasonably and establish trade agreements, both benefit from the prosperity brought on by trade. This should be a reminder to us all the next time we feel like just being a jerk about something and not cooperating just to tick someone off. (I've NEVER been guilty of that)

But that's the rub isn't it? This only works in the abstract where people do not have feelings which can be hurt, beliefs which they will not violate, and rights which they value above monetary profit. What happens if one person decides not to play the game according to the rules? Well obviously for the system to work, there must be an enforcer. For the good of the majority who are all benefiting from this game being played by the rules, and possibly even for the good of this individual who will also benefit from playing by the rules, someone must have the authority to enforce. In a family this is the parents. If the kids are working or playing together and one child is ruining the fun for everyone else, that child can be disciplined in order to maintain a good environment for all involved.

I hope you can see where I am going with this, but I am attempting to develop it all as systematically as possible.

I want to now take a look at our health care system. This may seem like a completely random quantum leap to some, but bear with me and I'll hopefully make it clearer what that has to do with the previous discussion.

Consider, if you will, our entire health care system as an N-player game. The players are individuals, doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies. (You'll see why I left the government, and lawyers out in a few moments) There exists some equilibrium point of prices and services for this system where patients pay a certain amount for insurance, hospitals charge a certain amount for services, etc. etc. This is the system in its pure state. However, the problem is that we don't live in a mathematically ideal society. Let's start with the government. The government sees itself as the "enforcer". What they have done is, rather than leaving the rules of the game the way they naturally would develop, they step in and change the rules to make them "better". For instance, hospitals are required by law (rule) to provide emergency care for anyone that shows up, regardless of their ability to pay for it/have it covered by insurance. We could debate whether this is a good or a bad thing, but it's the rules. However, what this essentially does is change the payoffs for players. Now patients have the option, rather than paying into the system and obtaining the care they need, or simply saving their money for emergencies, of simply relying on the hospital care which they are guaranteed, regardless of if they can pay for it or not. You may have heard of this referred to as the "free rider" problem. The free rider drives the price up for all those who have bought into the system. What's the solution to this? Well obviously, from the standpoint of the Enforcer, the solution is to set up a new rule which says everyone must have insurance. That way, by including everyone in the system, Nash's principles once again apply, right?

Sort of. The problem is that this approach only is acceptable in the abstract. Take a look at what we've done. By applying principles and logic, we've constructed a system in which the government has the right, for the good of the masses, to tell you how you must spend your money. This is exactly communism. It abolishes private property and instead establishes a system where your property is only yours as long as you are willing to use it the way the government wants you to use it. Obviously this is only one small aspect of the system, but analysis of many others shows the same result. It is a principle which the founders understood, but which we seem to have lost sight of. To wit, government involvement which does not have strict unbendable limits put upon it, regardless of the area, leads to more government involvement both in that and any related area. It is a self perpetuating system to which the only logical result is total control by the government.

I mentioned lawyers earlier. I think the roll of lawyers in the health care system is drastically underestimated. Essentially what lawyers do is to manipulate the legal system and drag it in between the different players (in particular the patients and the doctors) and use it for personal gain by preventing cooperation between the players which is necessary for a beneficial outcome to all. Essentially their sales pitch to the patients is, forget the payouts that everyone else goes by, I can get you a much larger payout from your doctor by using the legal system. (They never mention the payout they are actually looking for themselves.) What this does is it seperates the patient from the doctor because now the doctor must constantly be in fear the he will be sued. The result is increased cost to everyone involved in the system. Insurance companies must pay more in settlements. Patients must pay more in insurance to cover the huge settlement costs. Doctors must pay more in insurance to cover law suits. Patients must pay more to doctors to cover the doctors extra insurance. The only beneficiaries are a small number of the patients, and the trial lawyers. But what I find interesting is that it is really an example of how Nash equilibrium DOES work. If cooperation between players is prevented, the result is that everyone loses.

Now considering my previous warning about government involvement, you may think it hypocritical of me to say that the government must execute reform in this area. But notice what I said. It is not that the lawyers are players in the system who are refusing to play by the rules. The lawyers are actually inserting the government into the health care system. So once again the problem is government involvement, though indirectly this time. What the government needs to do is reform its laws to prevent itself from being dragged into the mess.

One point which I intended to cover but skipped over was the immorality of government forcing participants into playing the game the way the government wishes them to play the game. (Telling doctors what tests they must run, how much they must charge. Telling insurance companies what premiums should be, who they must cover, and similar issues. ) But again, just briefly, it quickly becomes clear that the only way this can be implemented is by total control. If the government tells the doctor he must lower his price, he is perfectly free to simply leave, if that is more beneficial to him. (this is already happening btw) When this happens, then thte whole system starts to collapse, unless the government extends its power further to not only tell doctors how they must perform their jobs, but THAT they must perform them. And anyone that thinks we are actually all that far from that situation, is, in my opinion, simply fooling themselves.

Until next time...

Let Me Clarify

2010-04-23T05:50:00.001-07:00

I discussed in my previous post the cost of Liberty. I wish to clarify. In previous generations countless men have laid down their lives to purchase Liberty for their country and their families. This is, perhaps obviously, the ultimate sacrifice. But what will be required of us? It is possible that my life, and the lives of others may be required, but I think there is a sacrifice which, in this day and age is almost as difficult for us, that I think is likely to be required of all of us. That is the sacrifice of our time and money, most importantly time. We are so busy in our day and age. So busy, and yet we hardly do anything. We spend all our time trying to make a living, spending the money we have on cars which don't last, clothes that are out of fashion before we pull them off the shelf, entertainment that is passing, and houses that many of us will never own, and most of us will not leave to our children. Those of us who are Christians spend time worshiping on Sunday, and perhaps some time during the week doing devotions and reading an occasional book. These pursuits are more lasting, but how much of our time do we actually spend on that as compared to our transitory obsessions? And indeed, I don't intend to say that only that which is eternal is relevant. Far from it. One of the chief things which I think we all should be doing is improving our minds and ourselves by extensive study and reading. Why?

I strongly believe that knowledge is power. If we are to win the battle before us, we must be well armed. Our chief weapons are our minds. These we must sharpen by study and application. This preparation requires sacrificing time and energy which could be used to improve our financial status, enjoy a movie, or drink a beer. (Though personally I think beer is a great companion to a good book) How many of us really understand the workings of our government, its history how it has developed, and the governmental theory and philosophy from which it has been devised? How many of us really understand free market capitalism, both in its strengths and its weaknesses, and understand the alternatives as well, how they have developed, the worldviews which they are based on, and why the do not work? How many of us understand the structure of our judicial system, how it has developed, and how it was originally intended to function?

We can not all be experts in everything. But we if we as a people are to remain free, we must understand what our government is doing, and the long term import of policies and worldviews. I will go into this in more depth in my next post.

My disorganization in this post is profound.

The next area which we must sacrifice is in the training of our children. They are the next generation of leaders, and we handicap them if, after spending all this time and energy educating ourselves, we force them to do the same thing by not passing on that which we have learned. I will expand on this more another time.

The last way I will address right now which we must sacrifice, is by participating in the function of our society and government. We must actively support good candidates, even if it is only in our discussions. We must educate ourselves on the various candidates and their views on the issues at stake. We must run for office ourselves. Political offices should not be filled by lifetime politicians, they ought to be filled by true civil servants. Our governmental system was never intended to provide political careers. I strongly feel that one of the greatest plagues on our government is the career politician. It is a pest which must be eradicated. Again, I have taken on so much in this post that there is no way I can discuss all of it in any detail whatsoever, but term limits on EVERY politician must be put into place. We must be willing to step up, even if it's not what we would prefer to be doing, and run for office at the local and state level. Societies are changed from the bottom up and so are governments.

Once again my thoughts have simply flowed freely onto the keyboard rather than being organized in any cohesive form. But perhaps I paint a picture for you of the sacrifices which Liberty requires of us. We must be willing from time to time to lay down our ambitions, our energies, and our time, in order to fight for the precious Liberty which our fathers gave to us. And we must do so because if we do not, all our time, our energies, and our ambitions will ultimately be spent in vain.

The Price of Liberty

2010-04-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

I ask you: what is the price of Liberty? Not what have others payed that you might have it. What are you willing to pay to keep it.

I have asked myself this question countless times over the past months. What would I be willing to pay to protect my Liberty, and more importantly the Liberty of my family and my nation?

Now consider what is the cost of Liberty. What may be required of you in order to protect Liberty? The answer, if we know the first thing about history, is quite clear. All.

Now I ask you a third thing. How do these two compare? If one does not meet the high standard of the other, you are now depending upon the courage and the dedication of your compatriots as well as your fathers to protect your liberty. And you may be assured that when a country judges the cost of Liberty a price too high to pay, what liberty they have will not long be theirs.

This is not fear mongering, this is not melodrama, this is simple fact. Liberty comes at a price. I submit to you that our country has long since judged Liberty to costly a gem to maintain. We rather want the security of government backed loans, "guaranteed" health care, and guaranteed schooling. (I do not say guaranteed education) And also I say with Benjamin Franklin, "They that give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither Liberty nor safety."

WAKE UP! We sit in our living rooms and complain and argue to one another about the politicians up in Washington, or the goons running the local school board, and then go on our daily lives like there's nothing we can do to change it.

Decide now whether Liberty is worth the price which she demands. If so then stand up and fight for her. And if not, then I don't want to hear another word about what you think of the most recent boondoggle coming out of Washington. We must be involved. You do not change the course of a battle by sitting on the sidelines and shouting ridicule at the enemy. Gear up and get out there! You win the battle by controlling the tide, and right now the enemies of Liberty have stormed the field and the few voices still out there are fighting back to back, just trying to survive.

The first thing that I need to do is educate myself. I know far to little about far too many issues. Think of this as training. If you're going to win the war, there must be intensive, rigorous, demanding training. The second thing I'm going to do (and I say this with all trepidation, cause I know my own track record) is write. More my own benefit, than anything. I don't even know if anyone has read my previous post, or if anyone will read this one. But I find that putting my thoughts into writing, clarifies them in my own mind. The third thing I must do is to pray. Pray for opportunities to be involved. I have no idea what form that will take, but if the battle is to be won, we must all be involved. There can't be any hanging back and hoping to avoid the conflict.

I'll end there, ignoring everything I have ever learned about how to write as it pertains to a sound introduction and conclusion format. think of this as a To Be Continued...

Please bear with my prolific grammatical errors. I fix them as I see them, but confess I am far too lazy to do a real proof reading of my posts.

Speaking Out

2010-04-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

Does anyone out there listen? Probably not. Then why, you might ask, do I bother? Is it just because I enjoy hearing myself talk? Perhaps sometimes. Sometimes I think it's just to vent my own frustration and feelings of helplessness of doing anything with the situation. What can one small voice do to make a difference in sweeping floods of rhetoric (or more often lack thereof) that flood our radio waves, our television sets, and the internet. But I have decided that I will speak out. I will speak out, not because I think I'm the most qualified person to do so, not because I think I will be able to convince the masses with my oratory skills, or, heaven knows my complete lack of blogging skills. But I will speak out cause it's the right thing to do. I am a citizen of two countries, and one state. Let me list them for you in the order in which they take priority: I am a citizen of a Heavenly country. I am a citizen of the great state of Alabama. I am a citizen of these United States of America.

As I begin to write, I find that my fingers are flooded with all of the thoughts that have been flooding my mind over the past months, and I don't know how I will possibly get them all out. Even less do I know how I will make any order of them. But since I have started on this path, let me further expound upon my previous statement about who I am in terms of my citizenship.

My Heavenly Home
Anyone who reads this probably is familiar with my faith and my beliefs. By the grace of God I was raised in a Christian home, and brought up to love the Lord. He has never failed, despite my weakness and my rebellion, to be faithful to me, and thus my allegiance lies first and foremost to him. No other entity to which I have pledged allegiance may rightfully ask me to betray this most fundamental allegiance. In fact, my Heavenly Country so defines my life and relationships, that I only understand what it means to be a citizen of an earthly country in terms of who I am as a citizen of my Heavenly Country. Since I am not half as eloquent as Patrick Henry, I'll let him speak for me:

"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles."

I could expound upon this much further, perhaps I would bore you and you would never get to finishing.

My State of Citizenship
Now you may say I've got it wrong. I am a resident of my state, and a citizen of my country am I not? I am an American, and proud to be one. I believe I live in the greatest country in the world. But I also believe that the only reason we are as great as we are today is that we are still living on borrowed capital from our Founding Fathers. And the vision which they had for our country was one in which the States had Sovereignty, and the primary function of the federal government was in dealing with foreign nations or matter which concerned the nation as a whole. Thus I say, and I believe that almost all of the Founding Fathers would agree with me, that my allegiance lies first with my state, before my country. Incidentally, I think that Patrick Henry (again) said it best:

"The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them."

For this very reason, only specific, very limited authorities were given to the Federal Government. It is much easier for citizens to keep an eye on government which is close to home.
One of my other heroes, forced to chose between his state and his country put it this way: With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home.

My Country of Citizenship
Having no particularly brilliant thoughts on my relationship to my federal govt that have not already been expressed in my previous discussion, I will simply quote Thomas Jefferson on what the relationship with the government should be:

"A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicity"

I feel somewhat more relieved now that I have spilled a small portion of my thoughts onto paper. Perhaps I shall make this a habit. I welcome any input from the two of you that will actually read this.

A New Perspective on Holidays

2009-09-06T06:33:00.000-07:00

I'm just gonna say it. holidays suck when you spend them alone. They really do. Even it being the kickoff of college football this weekend doesn't redeem it. Cause ultimately, it just means you have a lot of time to sit around and think about how alone you are. :-P

I'm kinda hoping I might happen upon an invitation somewhere at church today. I know that's shameful...but what can I say?

In other news...MD disappointed me more than I expected. What the heck is up with Georgia's offense coughing up the ball and not being able to put any points on the board? And Oklahoma...I know you were playing without one of the best QB's in the country, and without an excellent receiver...but you should have been able to put BYU away. That's shameful. And finally, VT, I KNOW you've got more offense than that.

Need To Know

2009-09-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

Here at Reason, we do our part to provide you with all the information that you need to know to live a happy, successful, and rewarding life. Here's a word for today, or rather, the number for today. This is the first number that is evenly divisible by every number from 1-10,000.

57933396702876429686922708791662400986348602979985188253931383511489793001457731823088325981761829221665744176794023407056559491402467891577328326763021299466843118474637852656831938521549472347971073068161679301705472685236926463387338495220571064420250677315000599457941340849496227227628926493771018264821842230370349640102573492881424317306189569467101495834601991270039918780924506495405797923762205360790652073159333382795670426041033566699342449050309786673681670483369155689567554239898879039744147333971988258061042090970476729293484513072443614795766878726325795854855394491290821167148355514749149683707585283381546153703014210442470318180511906691108325146494219343498899382918018246586609827667470329166012110874981104800415741527586280026737848182673635645872230905234515169611121042867043956727839314198728626274066655467846183343599194761590368608472578398169740111485924046986870714883894285841394964627408094161019230662749101230783008668676907211199488107523306410531772045452853957706873238466829988649822157557103503283563398281775464911904789159515900987401574678885942493907604740891878907698622679570965569483682456042918236444719794534411171907606336090534029349351300276141892529795448751826394399153216183270385737795748770508612096374765333578237973395907265484337502903901947799663388329849198045756207969590055686607678195206367273600632909417024224754750428711236917913663419215925830944035539848749163178489614227546656090790164108195741048033614368495827231281392190063051315248070192263400801315095608512139510731469732311313898995746040563433121427776071482655904346538281010668476731132415829844984600414136781404774213539507859790229205890271721600309169926806121871750008163738773911610009508609149665332579632767397078877996926581337419351834754370411008686136818501030862345505385357198060894463821342298717851567836562984344806469613768024764967372979655179066074398198246805104576134474823016488842818077041661676098399378809713894284994865370648616800689225595431967181072865363430005250840767890912164530705704936837915584856606960687347372391339254432119085932175541392954343684716695162629271229789289404752104218596977036941910521266321726821940533986384237994403780618301379099347975260122724194454275088825587044488208965690373706904056926509324696308810974331790119456438147168585552011926921912167450509941646104076818762060881903969616431646384985895944231218505620547093874241169759205450145478746112796898626711966320965057212219958567338851356631739947125096250452942497473309299907612330435197454392788637359253116308685007014249605492659524429134513344137517101872279428202285951652856354827230765931502805341696470148698002737700823078904634554776750169178259216255903968865588749827789888950172452455448248833712309835657561369233157977405579365293671943131412034109901944892819245001657496671822581274180596255340507054499934060282320458240722454209933569735940032859109934686878274110864394924463573852015338428881961843292083566034669814619612606638283615766521897504566616272305253931938372830446073384019299355320864342734019517633662346790422915951954822645137091494126100390104510987373366328615363056042137440808225973600809566845718073791616927784260557845021823094999326904373592319407516660896764388092262510369182153559285446074990941863516247226532653142198551840063631989428776799533286215464660644129411503287306838551341184739976807097763115368031748646043780549055143428297230678053738453010234949008253769355207208167999203353157524666017029803679612131824740794652592875662818479980117505768541194835524231818203552256426752730455115752280837099763237606348192867936457993970866446264015812819179994138642295108872381709181937092290392544335464025324661284746003660247161196698209062164637264114930766444473471083408200329662059064201896721165015687487728300854501780810155844837489798144309942999091774466406270065305461848242329380636274754660519867343112275861821293501112101434868225378041813836808745417606289159904294165941408692922250601127804971962342807927743390030395048263275616935165347620718001157478088456439083590834464409622781693790883289597024043982584220069224170235863458745344365684082114430362867446193601075569803650773018026700003812298460527976219100308016537538008597751565631582745643139434508332515569645426771080000093248326671232352303901422

my program took 52.403000 seconds to compute, which i was pretty proud of.

The original problem was to find the smallest number divisible by 1-20, but aftter realizing that my program solved that in less than .5 microseconds (0.000000 sec) I decided to test how fast it actually was. 1-100 it was still registering a flat 0 seconds. 1-1000 it came in at 0.125. The calculation for 1-100,000 I left running over the weekend at work. no idea if it's solved it yet. but if the time increase is exponential, as it appears to be, I'm guessing not. I'm also somewhat curious what python's limit is on the size number it can handle. just to give you a perspective on how big that number is, a lower limit estimate of the number of atoms in the universe is ~3x10^79. I should have just checked the string length in python, but I forgot to. However, that number is on the order of 6x10^4000.

So that's if for today, and remember, you are a really, REALLY tiny insignificant part of a BIG universe, and yet God knows every hair on your head. how about that, eh?

Code is written in python. I'm not actually positive this is correct...cause I was just trying to remember it here, but it's pretty close. I'll check it when I go to work on tuesday.

n=10000 #Establish search boundary
c1 = c2 = n #Establish dummy variables
for n range (n+1, 1, -1): #Establish range
while c1%n != 0 : #I only pretend I know what I'm doing
c1 = c1+c2 #If you actually read all my comments, you'll realize I am NOT a "real" programmer
c2=c1 #But it's fun anyway
print 'The smallest number divisible by 1-', n, 'is', c2, '.' #Booya baby

The key to this program is recognizing the following. Assume you have a number "a1" that is divisible by "b" and "c", and you want to find the next smallest number, "a2" that's also divisible by "d". By necessary consequence:

a2 = a1+x*a1

where x is a positive integer. The easiest way to convince yourself of this is to realize that since the a1 component of a2 is divisible by b and c, the a2-a1 component must also be divisible by b and c. And since we just stated that a1 is the smallest integer evenly divisible by both b and c, a2 must be some integer multiple of a1. So each iteration of the while loop simply adds another value of "a1" and checks to see if the new number is divisible by the current number in the for loop.

The only other "trick" is to start at the top rather than the bottom. This makes your convergence much faster, since you are working in much larger steps right off the bat. In fact, the program converged to the solution for 1-20 in 81 iterations!

Enjoy!

Man vs. Wild

2009-08-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

In this special man vs. wild edition, you'll catch of the real struggle, and what it must have been like to survive in primitive times. No camera men and support crew, just me and the brutal truth that is nature.

5:30 finds me on the side of the lake with my trusty rod and real, trolling for bass. Time passes and I have no success in catching the fish that will provide vital nutrients for my survival. After an hour and a half I decide to try for panfish or bluegills instead. I catch a couple small ones, but nothing that has enough meat on its bones to feed my hungry stomach. after obvserving the movement of some smaller panfish among the rocks in the shallows, I change techniques and let the bait drag and bounce slowly along the bottom rather than zip through the water. On my second cast I meet with great success. I reel in a gorgeous 9" panfish. That should go a long way towards keeping me alive. not having a chain or a bucket to secure the fish, I simply lay him on the grass far enough away from the water that he won't flop in. With those kinds of results, I've got to see if I can get another one to make a full meal out of it. Then I spot him. about 20 yards away, a heron is obviously eyeing my fish hungrily. He slowly stalks the fish, moving when he thinks I'm not looking. Twice I chase him away as he makes a dash for my precious dinner. Then it happens: several quick tugs on my line alert me that I've caught the rest of my dinner. Within seconds the fish is out of the water and on the bank. At that moment my heart lands in my stomach like a brick as I hear a squack and turn to see the Enemy scoop up the fish and take off across the lake. About 200 yards down the bank I watch as the heron gulps down the fish without so much as a please and thank you. The sun has set as I look bleakly at the 5 inch fish on my line, and with a sinking heart, realize that I will be going hungry tonight.

baby dolls

2009-07-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

I noticed recently that baby dolls' heads (the ones with the cloth stuffed bodies and the plastic heads and extremities) are held on by zip ties.

There's something awesomely morbid about that.

What message are they trying to send kids?

Surprised, Encouraged, Amazed

2009-07-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

Three frames of mind which I went through today.

The past few days I've been down in Iuka, MS for a meeting. Yesterday was fairly interesting, getting to see the project which was just in its final stages, and getting familiar with the facilities down there. But today turned out to be far more interesting.

Surprised

I was surprised today when I saw a dead armadillo by the side of the road. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised...but I was.

Encouraged

The meeting which i was attending was largely to accomodate Mike Griffin, the former director of NASA. The project which was being presented was one which he had personally commissioned, and thus he was very interested to see the results. What was encouraging was that the entire project lasted two and a half years, from innitial conception, to final production. For any of you familiar with govt. work...that's BLAZING fast. And on top of that it was totally awesome. So it was encouraging to me that there are projects that can still be run in a semi efficient manner by NASA that create state of the art results. They may be few and far between...but they do exist. ;-)

Amazed

...at how God opens doors. Mike Griffin is now on the faculty of University of Alabama in Huntsville. In his position there he is pushing for the university to be very closely alligned with NASA, and other industry members. He and Larry Pelham (not technically my boss...but really my boss. :-)) got to talking, and between the two of them came up with a master plan. They suggested that TJ and I start at UAH on a masters program, and that NASA and the University work it such that our work at NASA counts as research towards our masters. Nothing could be more welcome as I've been trying to figure out how to work in a masters. i am not clear on the details of how it would work, but it means that I could potentially finish a masters program in two and a half years. But at the least it means the people I report to at both work and school will be working towards the same goal, which will hopefully make ballancing things easier. and it also most likely means I won't have to pay a penny to go to school. probably not even up front. In any case, I'm very thankful. pray that everything works out well with this. it would be VERY exciting if I would be able to finish the masters in 2 or so years instead of 5 just doing it part time. but it's all pretty amazing if you ask me.

2009-07-17T17:48:00.001-07:00

Barber Shop

2009-07-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

Since moving away also meant that I no longer have my sisters/father/mother to give me haircuts periodically, it also necessitated finding somewhere to get my hair cut. As I do with most things, I turned to google to ade me in my search. One of the first results it brought up was this:

http://artofmanliness.com/2008/05/20/rediscovering-the-barbershop/

I highly recommend reading the entire article as it is very well written and explains the barber shop experience FAR better than I will ever be able to. But needless to say, this article inspired me to find a real barber shop, and not just a hair cuttery. My search yielded the following.

http://alroosters.com/

This traditionally styled barber shop is set up in the very quaint and attractive shops on Providence Main Street. I intend to visit this area more in the future...but more on that another time.

When you first walk in, the first thing that strikes you is the smell. It smells like man. A pleasant mixture of aftershave, shaving cream and even a touch of alcohol. (they serve you drinks while you wait) The next thing you realize is that all the people waiting are men. Pretty cool. Give them your name, and they'll give you a time slot. Once you're in the chair, the experience begins. After a brief consultation on what you would like done, the cut begins. Using a combination of scissors, combs, and clippers, your hair is slowly tamed and shaped into a respectable state of being once more. But that is only the beginning, my friend. next a hot, lightly scented towel is brought and wrapped around your face and neck while your hair receives a thorough washing, followed by a complete scalp massage. ooo, life is good. After the wash and scalp massage the towel is removed and you sit back up feeling quite refreshed. But wait, theres more. Using a traditional straight blade razor, your neck and sideburns are trimmed into tip-top shape, followed by a neck and shoulder massage. You pay the smiling clerk and walk out of the barber shop feeling like a new man.

All in all it was completely worth the 24 dollars of my hard earned money. I feel fairly confident that the next time I am in need of a haircut, I'll find my way back to Providence and Roosters.

The First Two weeks

2009-07-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

I gave it some thought, and determined that, since I am now a long ways from all my friends and family, it seems more likely that this blog will actually be read by at least a few people. It's also as good a way as any to keep people updated on how my life is going.

So the first two weeks have been pretty good. The first week was very slow at work. My NASA contact was out all week, so /TJ (another new hire) and I didn't have much to do. However the second week things began to pick up.

For the time being I'll be working largely with hands on fabrication. We are making test panels from different types that will then be broken to determine material properties. I'm encouraged so far, I think that once I get into the swing of things I will have a lot of opportunities to get invovled with very interesting projects. For the time I'll stick it out while I get through all the boring initiation stuff.

After much thought and consideration, I've reached a decision. And i know I will probly be ridiculed for this, but I shall stand firm and say with Benedick, "Does not man love the meat in his youth which he can not endure in his age?" and, even though it's completely irrelevant, "No! The world must be peopled!!"

I've decided it's high time I invested some time and money in my wardrobe, especially now that I'm working. I've realized that when i dress nicely, I simply feel more productive and inspired at work. Thus, with Suzanne's help (though she doesn't know it yet) I'll be making an attempt at updating my wardrobe. Clothes are depressingly expensive, but such is life.

Meals...so far I have only eaten out once. I'm pretty happy with that. Hamburger helper and hotdogs have been my friends. Tonight it's lasagna hamburger helper w/ some corn mixed in. woot. :-)

I'd love phone calls, messages, e-mails...whatever. hope everyone is doing well.

Epic Fail

2009-04-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

Once again I have demonstrated my inability to handle the level of commitment it requires to keep up a blog. *ashamed* In other news, I'm writing this when I should be studying for an econ exam and writing a review paper.

Lesson of the day. I actually feel GOOD after I run if I focus on running/walking at a pace such that I can continue to carry on a conversation the entire time rather than running til I'm dead. I went about a mile and a half or two miles (haven't measured it yet) this morning with a couple brisk walks mixed in. It felt great. :-)

All things together for good

2009-02-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

You know...I think God knows what he's doing. :-)

Getting to Know me

2009-02-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

God uses the most unexpected situations to teach us more about ourselves. There's no fun way to put this. I got layed off today. It wasn't unexpected really, given the state of the economy and my status as an intern. But that didn't make it any easier. Needless to say, it sort of throws my world into a tizzy. But let's start at the beginning.

I went into work today with a very large agenda for the day. Jumped right in and was making good headway. About 10 oclock I went over to the stock room to get a part number, only to find Rachelle (the woman who does inventory) crying. She said the company had layed off 17 people this morning. Right around 11:55 I tell Christian what's going down, and how I'm surprised I'm not one of them. 12:00, I notice Linda (HR lady) heads into John's (Engineering Director) office. (Very unusual.) 12:05 John knocks on my door and asks me to come to his office for a minute. Fifteen minutes later I had said goodbye to the few people who weren't already at lunch, and was driving away.

Things I learned today:
1. Sometimes (maybe most of the time) what happens to you has nothing to do with how well or poorly you perform individually. Company policy is that whenever there are layoffs, interns have to be the first to go. No exceptions.

2. I have not yet mastered the art of completely sperating business from personal feelings. Despite being assured that they could not have been happier with how I have performed, and that it has nothing to do with me, it's still hard not to feel a bit insulted.

3. I don't like leaving things unfinished. One of the hardest things was that I was not allowed to tie up loose ends, hand off my projects to someone else, or even say goodbye to a lot of people.

4. I still haven't reconciled myself to the fact that I'm not in control. God is in control, I'm not...and that's really hard for me to fully accept.

I don't feel like spell checking...

Love

2009-02-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

This post is partially in response to Peter's recent musings. But I think it merits a discussion on it's own. Love is much talked of, and nearly as often misunderstood. I do not claim expertise, but I would like to present what I see as a Biblical view of love. I confess I will not have nearly as many scripture references as this discussion merits, partially due to my own inadequacy, and partially due to time constraints. I hope this will be beneficial to all of us as I'm sure it will be to me. Just one clarification. I am dealing with love as it is manifested in interpersonal relationships, not between the mortal and the divine.

I would like to suggest that love is a three pronged thing. As I thought on it, I thought it was strange that should be the case at first, but I decided that it made sense based on a variety of things. The easiest being that (according to the most widely held view) we are three parts. Spirit, Mind, and Body. You'll see what that makes sense later.

Emotional (Relational) Love
The best way I could think to define this is "the warm fuzzies". Hopefully everyone knows what I mean by this. Emotional love is very much a feeling which we experience towards another person. It is often described as being "In love", and such things. This is what the world thinks of when it thinks of love. I would argue, however, that it is not always a romantic love. We have the same love in a sense for our close friends and family. It is fundamentally a love based in emotion and relation. We all know the term "soul mates". I believe this type of love is in a very real sense an intertwining of souls, one with another.

Sacrificial Love
I debated over what to label this one, but I decided on the above. Sacrificial love is an attitude, or a state of mind. It is an attitude which places the well being of another above our own, that they are more important than we are. It has nothing to do with feelings, or even with actions. it is an attitude. I am willing to give up myself for this person's benefit. Think of Christ dying for the church as a picture of how a husband is to love his wife.

Active Love
This is love in a physical, tangible way. It is speaking a kind word, or opening one's home to someone in need. It is being patient, kind, not envying, not boasting, not being proud, rude, etc. And yet I think it is something deeper: living our lives towards one another in a way that is consistent with who we really are, bearers of God's image. This is perhaps the most mystical and difficult thing to understand in the whole matter. Practicing active love, not separate from, but as a part of Sacrificial and even emotional love, is part of glorifying and enjoying God because it is recognizing, and respecting God's image in our neighbor. Somehow our actions towards one another have absolute moral significance. There are words I could say that would be absolutely unloving, and those I could say that would be loving. It is an outworking of our sacrificial and emotional love, but it stands on its own as well. I may speak a word to you with every good attitude and emotion in my heart, and yet, because I am a fallible creature, my words may be taken by you in another way entirely. My words were not loving.

So what does all this mean? Let me use an analogy. The thing that immediately comes mind... Love is like a tree. The root of the tree is our attitude. If the tree is to be healthy the roots must be strong, and if the roots are compromised, the whole tree will fall very easily. Our actions are the trunk and branches. What others see and experience of our love is our works. If the branches are strong, we know that the roots must be as well. And emotional love is like the fruit. As far as the structure of the tree, the fruit is quite unimportant, and yet it is the sweet product of strong roots and well tended branches. If we are not bearing good fruit, the solution is not to try to squeeze more fruit out of ourselves, but to look to the state of our roots and branches, and see where the problem is. To take the analogy one step further, the branches also produce leaves, which strengthen and nourish the roots and help grow the fruit. So too we often find that even when our attitude is bad, and our emotions are in the gutter, being faithful to keep actively loving helps us to correct our attitudes and emotions.

I could go on for much longer, and I realize that I need to look up proof texts etc, but that will be for another time. I guess the point of the whole thing, is to say that loving one another is not a single dimensional thing. It involves every bit of us, including our emotions, our attitudes, and our actions.

I just remembered what question I was actually trying to answer when i started. What type of love do we owe to whom?

I would say that we owe to all men both active love. (clear from the scriptures) We are to treat all men with the dignity and respect that their position of image bearers of God dictates. I am undecided on sacrificial love. Certainly we do not owe it equally to all men. But I would have to say that to a degree we are to show it to all men, and particularly to our brothers and sisters in Christ. (Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.) I think the ultimate obligation we have to show sacrificial love is to our spouse. Emotional love I think it would be absurd to say we owe to all people. You can not have your soul intertwined with all people equally, and not at all with people you have not met or do not know personally.

So to deal specifically with what Peter said, " In heaven, we will feel that same emotional devotion toward everyone. Why would we not be called to start that now?" (see the context...it might be helpful) :-) I don't know that we will feel the same emotional devotion in heaven towards all men. In fact, I tend to think we won't. In a sense that would take away from the individuality which we have as image bearers. But if what you say is correct, [I believe] it will be because we have a full knowledge of all people, which we certainly do not have, and cannot have in this life. As I said, certain types of love, I do believe we owe to all men, though it may be to varying degrees, but others we do not.

I hope this has been helpful. I certainly found it encouraging to dwell on these things. comments would be just dandy. I certainly don't have this all figured out, and if you have good proof texts to suggest, that would be great as well! God bless!

Living

2008-12-22T07:25:00.000-08:00

I love days like this. And when I say days like this, I mean days where the sky is a crisp blue, and the air is bitterly cold, with just enough wind to chill you to the bone. I love days like this, not so much because I enjoy the weather, but because when you step outside, every nerve tingles, as your body struggles to generate enough heat to keep you from freezing. And it's at times like that that I become distinctly aware of how alive I am. Like Horton, hearing the Who's, my nerves are screaming, "We are here! We are here! We are here!"

Clue

2008-12-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have been wondering where my blog has gone, and who the guilty party is...I am ready to make my accusation:

Senior Design, in Richie's Senior Year, with the Copious Amounts of Work

But now that is over, and I have more important issues to deal with. In particular I need to work on trusting the Lord in all things. This was made very clear to me today when my boss told me that, due to a corporate wide hiring freeze caused by the economic situation, he can't promise me a job when I graduate. While this does not cause me any immediate hardship, it does throw my future into doubt...and I'm not good with doubt.

The whole trusting thing...not my strong point. I know everything happens according to God's providential control, and yet I'm the kind of guy that, even when I'm spinning out of control on an endless sheet of ice...you can bet my hands will be on the steering wheel. And somehow having the steering wheel rip off in my hands is infinitely more terrifying than spinning in the first place. Logical? I think not.

But back in the real world. It does raise a very legitimate question about where I will be living over the next few years. I had hoped to stay in the area and live where I am now...but now it seems increasingly likely that I will end up somewhere much further away. Texas seems to have a lot of jobs, and good paying ones at that. Texas is a long way away. And still any semblance of a job in TN alludes me...

Bill Watterson and state Sovereignty

2008-10-30T04:52:00.001-07:00

Bill Watterson believed in State Sovereignty...it's all so clear now...

The Almost Poem

2008-10-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

I almost wrote a verse,
About the common cold,
You'll never hear of worse,
So it shall ne'er be told.

It spoke of snot and phlegm,
Jack Daniel's it extolled,
Indeed it was no gem
So it shall ne'er be told.

Yet Muse knew not its time,
It prodded and cajoled
So I composed this rhyme,
Of what shall ne'er be told.

Spell Check: 4

The American Dream

2008-10-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

We have been hearing a lot from Senator Obama (And Obama is an honorable man) about the American Dream, and how his plan will help people to live it. Let us remind ourselves what the American dream is. The American dream is the idea that, through hard work and application of ones skills and energies, every person has an opportunity to improve their condition, and make a better life for themselves. As we all know, this is what drew people to America over the years.

Oboma's plan (though McCain's is not much better in many ways) appears to be specifically designed to TAKE money from those that have succeeded in "Living the Dream" and give it to those that have either not yet succeeded to the same degree, or are simply not trying. But certainly this can not be true, for Obama is an honorable man. Let's consider all three parties involved, excluding the government.

The successful "Joe the Plumber": This is someone who, through hard work, or business savvy (and most often a combination of both) have succeeded in establish a successful career, either in a larger company, or by starting a small company of their own. I think we all agree that taking away his money, is by no means helping HIM live the American Dream. But Obama is an honorable, so let us consider the others, for it is certainly helping them.

The struggling "Joe the Plumber": poor Joe has been working hard and doing his best, but due to a combination of bad luck, and a few slip ups, has not yet succeeded in establishing a very strong career. Obama (and Obama is an honorable man) proposes that we give successful Joe's money to Poor Joe. But this is not helping Poor Joe live the Dream. It is giving him money which, from no fault of his own, he has not earned. While it may help him live more comfortably, it is not helping him succeed.

The last person in Obama's plan (and let us remember, Obama is an honorable man) is "Bum Joe." Bum Joe doesn't work, doesn't pay taxes, doesn't own property, and doesn't care. Obama (and Obama is an honorable man) proposes that we take successful Joe's money and give it to Bum Joe. But Bum Joe is not living the American Dream, and doesn't want to. He wants other people to do the work, and him to reap the benefits.

Dear friends, I propose to you that this is not the American Dream, but socialism. Obama (and we KNOW Obama is an honorable man) is parading socialism under the facade of the American Dream. America, haven't we learned yet that you can put lipstick on a pig...

Spell Check: 6 It was a dark day...

Sanity

2008-10-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm in the computer lab working at 11 o'clock on Friday night.

I can feel my sanity slowly slipping away...

which is the only reason I'm sure I still have it. For now.

Spell Checker: 2

Black Socks

2008-10-16T05:20:00.000-07:00

While enjoying my morning shower, and contemplating whether or not I should go to the trouble of shaving for my meeting later today, I thought of a striking parallel.

Whiskers they never get dirty
The longer you leave them the longer they get.
Sometimes I think of my razor
But something inside me says don't shave them yet.

Still not sure if I'm gonna shave...

In other news, it's Thursday. Again. Feels like the week has hardly started, and yet last weekend seems like ages ago. Funny how that works.

Spell Checker: 4

Mission Statement

2008-10-15T07:30:00.003-07:00

Every undertaking should have one. My introspective incursion into the incorporeal idealization of ideas and ideology which we have termed the "blogosphere" shall be no exception.

My mission:

To revel in the subtle irony of life.
To sharpen my mind by the dynamic discussion, deliberation, and disputation of different topics and issues, both personal and communal, in the form of writing.
To reduce my dependency on the Spell Checker with every post.
To laugh, in hopes that others may laugh with me, or at me, as they see fit.

Pax

Spell Checker uses: 4

When I look into your eyes...

2008-10-15T05:07:00.000-07:00

...I see myself.

Think about it.