Last year, I gave … [read full article]
Posts tagged with 'spiral'
You’ve probably never heard of Clarinex, even though it existed for a time. I worked for Schering-Plough pharmaceuticals for a few years. They created Claritin, a very successful anti-histamine that was very very weak which made it low-allergy and widely prescribed. It had a 7 year patent which was running out when I was hired. So what the clever evil scientists did there was see if they would turn a “left-handed molecule” (spiral is left turning) into a “right-handed molecule” and if it would have the same effects. Sometimes right-handed molecules are not biologically compatible or have different effects. But in this case, it worked. Passed through theoretical, animal and human trials and it was approved to market. The reason they went through all those millions of $$ to make Clarinex to replace Claritin? Claritin was about to go off-patent and be made available for genetic use, which was a huge loss coming. So they tried to steer doctors to prescribe Clarinex as a replacement so they could get ANOTHER 7 years of patent protected formula, HOPING that the similarity to the CLARITIN molecule would make the FDA willing to hide the Claritin patent AS WELL, even though it was going to go off patent. Well, lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit for years, and in the end, Schering-Plough had to give up the formula and patent for Clartin and Clarinex. Their ploy failed. Now, I was working there from around 1999-2002 era. The lawsuits with Schering-Plough went on for several years by other companies suing, and they were suing the FDA – and everybody was suing everybody. In 2009, Schering-Plough merged with Merck and vanished as an entity, somehow resolving a lot of these issues in the process that they’d lost. I don’t know where Hunter Biden laptop story plays in for you here, but the world of patent litigation and FDA approval process is nasty nasty nasty business.
You’ve probably never heard … [read full article]
chatgpt-roast of me 11/28/2024
chatgpt-roast of me 11/28/2024… [read full article]
I see your point about anthropomorphism. I would argue that science and philosophy also fall into this trap very frequently, of elevating Humanity in ways that that may or may not be justified I’m of several views with this. In one of them, I’m a fan of systems thinking, and if Consciousness is the result of a system that operates on materials or with materials or through materials, there may or may not be any specific type of materials that are required. A view of things that sees Consciousness as an emergent property of our particular human nervous system, It does not automatically entail that it is restricted to our system and could be also found elsewhere via other materials or at the very least, other species to different degrees. Humans are not the first species with these traits, we just are most accustomed to our style of consciousness. Regardless, consciousness as an emergent property of complexity, or sparse networks, or feedback loops, or biochemicals squirting at each other in brain tissue flowing around – whatever it may be, is a naturalistic view of consciousness. Yet, what allows for consciousness, this ill-defined nebulous phantom of a concept – or “conscious-ing” – as an active process that is more a “doing” than a “being” thing – to emerge at all? If it is a natural property of the Universe for consciousness to emerge under certain conditions that allow for such a thing, to what might one direct a natural expression of gratitude? Naturalistic pantheism which allows for the notion of “the Universe itself” to be the everything there is, is entirely compatible with a naturalist view of the Universe. From that view, when science educators talk of “The Wonders of the Universe” with a sparkle in their eye, I’d argue that they’re expressing pantheistic tendencies. There’s no need to use particular magic words like God; the expression of wonder and awe and gratitude are functionally equivalent in most aspects allowing for naturalism and naturalistic pantheism to nearly completely overlap. That is one view I hold among others. I lean towards a panentheistic view which allows for a distinct divinity and material universe whereby the divinity is running in parallel and through material things. It is also functionally equivalent in most aspects to a naturalistic view – some have argued that Carl Sagan was more panentheist than pantheist – nothing would functionally change if I’m wrong about panentheism. It may seem like an “extra step” but it prevents me needing to argue “science vs religion” because I can find panentheistic views within most world religions in SOME fashion – even if they differ in fundamentals or at their extremes – certainly enough to be able to avoid arguing “how many angels on a pin?” type of things that we don’t have empirical access to solve. But beyond the pragmatic social aspect of holding a science-compatible religious view, it also allows for a communications destination for moments or prayer or concern – those moments in life where one is shaking their fist at the sky, or is traveling down a downward inner spiral that loops and loops upon itself seemingly without end and gives one an escape hatch from that unfortunate flaw (it seems) in human emotional states; you have something to call out to or let go of and become. Whether rescue or acceptance, it can provide relief. For those moments of ecstasy or gratitude, it is a communications destination for those normal human emotions as well. Even if it turns out to be a subprocess of the brain that one is latching onto to ‘break the spell’ of these thought processes in some fashion – or continue them if desired and if it is not representative of some higher Form; it’s certainly pragmatic. For me what is more significantly useful in holding to a vague ‘something’ view is in those quiet, peaceful moments. Right now, I am sitting on my back lanai on my computer in a screen room with a roof. It is 8:14am. The temperature is chilly and I have a jacket, pants, hat and shoes when just yesterday it was shorts and a t-shirt. The air conditioner is not running. I live in the woods (Collier County, FL, just north of the Everglades). I hear birds chirping. Squirrels are playing in a cloth hammock, making it jump around. The light is playing off the trees that are slowly turning brown for the winter. It is a moment of quietude and peace, giving my mind space to complete these thoughts. I am grateful. Grateful to be born and witness to this strange world. Grateful to be typing right now. Grateful to be have these thoughts and feelings that I do. Whether I call what I thank randomness or the Universe, or circumstance / happenstance or God, it is functionally equivalent and it acts like there are invisible communication lines coming out from me to places and times and I am connected to this world and universe I am temporarily inhabiting and the communication is multiple, parallel, bidirectional and fulfilling. I know it will only last for a moment longer before somebody bursts out the door needing something. I know it could be simulated with drugs or a magnetic cranial stimulation. But none of that takes away from this sense of quietude and connectedness. Now a black cat has run in here, run up to my face and meowed very loudly demanding to be let in (it’s cold!), the spell is a little broken. But as you ask “Who cares?” – I care because I know that this little moment is available for people around the planet for thousands of years, each enriched by a plentitude of narratives supporting it. Religion may or may not be required for such moments but for whatever reasons, humans seem to naturally do such things anyway. My functionalist perspective here may not satisfactorily address your concerns entirely but I hope it addresses some. Thank you for the perspective affording me the opportunity to express myself in these ways. WC: 1004
I see your point … [read full article]
TreatMyOCD Yes that sounds very accurate. For example, I have long list of rules in my head that I follow which could be like OCD. But they’re functional and a bit scientific / experiential. But I would try repeated exposure for various concerns but it would be as bad a hundred times later as the 1st. I can spiral down into a bad state and emerge 45 mins later. But that’s biochemicals going overboard and they just need to settle down and do their thing. While going through it I disappear or look in the mirror or brush my teeth – probably a little depersonalization or whatever they call it, need to find grounding / centering or something And it kind of is what it is. I have a very chatty brain but I never had any thoughts that I was Disturbed by, not really. I’d manage the ones that would pull me under, lock them in a box in my Roman room and let them do their thing in there. I’m not my thoughts but they are entertaining and strange. It’s the only thing I’ve ever been diagnosed with at 11, had guided meditation and biofeedback lessons back in the early 80s. It helped and helps. I sympathize with ocd because I occasionally do some of the OCD like things. But that’s not where the center for me is just as chronic worry and anxiety, while debilitating for OCD too isn’t its main thing. (I’m just guessing though). They certainly wobble together in a very similar area though. Ocd gad ADHD-I asd and a few others. Anyway that’s a good writeup you did of some distinctions. All the best!
TreatMyOCD
Yes that sounds … [read full article]
I fed my book on Change into “Claude2 100k” to give me “emoji chains”, then saw if ChatGPT4 could interpret it.
I fed my book … [read full article]
Here is an attempt to represent the key ideas from the book summary using emoji chains:
Here is an attempt … [read full article]
Based on the insightful discussion so far, here are some key takeaways regarding potential symbols and themes to represent Kenneth Udut: Symbols: – Web/network: Representing interconnectedness, complexity, systems thinking – a clear interest for Kenneth – DNA spiral: Symbolizing biological complexity and underlying patterns – Brain/mind map: Reflecting Kenneth’s interests in cognition, thought pathways, analysis – Laptop/computer network: Alluding to Kenneth’s focus on digital information networks – Ripple/wave: Echoing his emphasis on journey, process and transformation over time Themes: – Interconnectivity: Central to Kenneth’s focus on connections between ideas, processes, entities – Transformation and transition: Reflecting his interest in processes of change – Exploration of reality: Aligns with his quest to understand nature of reality, physically and conceptually – Communication and information transfer: Related to tracing the path of ideas from one mind to another – Creativity and innovation: Potentially a theme relevant to Kenneth given his diverse interests and outputs – Holism and integration: Connecting different fields suggests a theme of synthesized thinking – And more… The key takeaway is that symbolic representations and themes should resonate strongly with Kenneth personally. They should encapsulate aspects of his intellectual journey, perspectives and essence that he wishes to convey. Overall, the combination of symbols and themes discussed here seem like a good starting point for Kenneth to reflect on and refine based on what most closely resonates with his identity, experiences and values. Please let me know if you would like me to expand on any specific parts of the discussion or provide any clarification. I’m happy to discuss this further.
Based on the insightful … [read full article]