From: bogus@mail.com   
      
   On 4 Nov 2003 15:24:54 -0800, gaiawar@webtv.net (Gaiawar) wrote:   
      
   >Ded 1, sir. this tiny gap between pi and phi befuddles me to no end,   
   >because extension of mantissas does not help me approach convergence   
   >within the lines and curves. Mayhaps Hermes did it. But he's ded.   
   >   
   >-Gaiawar   
      
   Reality, in truth, does not converge. It is as Napoleon said, "It is a   
   lie agreed upon." Generally it tends to spiral out of control settling   
   for the golden mean, not to say, meaning.   
      
   We place arbitrary values upon things, roll the dice and move our   
   pieces until we are cleared from the board. Our purpose within the   
   lines and curves is to further propagate specific lines of code in a   
   massively parallel computing process. No more or less. We never see   
   the meaning of the constants nor the true context of the message.   
      
   Which lines of code?   
   Does it matter?   
   What is the code? the sequences of enzymes in DNA   
   The processing speed? Millions of years.   
      
   Just because we assume we, as individuals, have some kind of unique   
   arbitrary value does not make it so.   
      
   "In the eyes of the Gods, The Universe is but a hand full of sand."   
                    - The book of reminders.   
      
   What then can be said of "Man's self importance"??   
      
   On the human level, I can understand Schwann's feelings about past and   
   future but when viewed from the "infinite" scale-- humanity and its   
   'moral scale' get lost some where in the push and pop of stacks of a   
   computational process we neither understand nor are designed to   
   understand.   
      
   Human compassion is a fine thing, unfortunately most folks use it as a   
   blinder to hide themselves from how cold and heartless human existence   
   actually is. It is a nice warm fuzzy blanket to cloak lives spent in   
   misery and pain.   
      
   Laughter, that 'best medicine' that heals all wounds, is strangely   
   evoked by seeing the pain or tragedy that others experience. How   
   'barbaric' the human soul that gathers pleasure from the pain of   
   others?   
      
   Do people actually go out every day with their whole focus to 'make a   
   difference and change things'? no. Do they fight the system when the   
   system is wrong? no. Do they go out to ease the pain of others without   
   placing some kind of 'gotcha' price tag for the service? no.   
      
   We put price tags on what we'll do out of the 'goodness of our hearts'   
   because 'goodness' is not necessarily a survival trait. None of the   
   above examples give good odds for biological or memetic survival.   
   [neither does genius-- else we'd all have evolved in to it.].   
      
   The wonderous blessings of a "God in the Net" won't ever occur because   
   of simple human inertia-- though there might be a few good laughs   
   trying.   
      
   The only reason we don't destroy ourselves once our part in the   
   computational process is completed is we give some kind of arbitrary   
   value of "good" to our lives.   
      
   Maybe there will be dirge singers for me may be not. I lean toward the   
   'not'. I say that in all honesty because I can't make any tangible   
   claims to have 'changed the world' or 'died for others sins' or been a   
   'world famous usenet personality'. But then look at who places values   
   on this kind of thing.   
      
   Schwann may have mistook my intention: I was simply attempting to give   
   him a frame of reference to the "statement in question". No more. No   
   less. He could have done the same thing I did and reasoned it through.   
   If he took offence at my remarks then he mistook my intent [then again   
   who can judge the intent of anyone?]. No flame was intended nor slur   
   on his family.   
      
   That we do not understand what we are doing with the lines and curves   
   and arbitrary mantissas does not mean we cannot make it art...  which   
   is the only thing truely known to spiral and converge only within the   
   mind of the beholder.   
      
   If art is a lie well told, and life the canvas of our true art... it   
   means that life might be entertaining but not 'true' ['truth' and   
   'validity' ,in this sense, may not necessarily be the same thing]   
      
   the ded 1   
      
   "Just because the framework is flawed does not mean the art is bad."   
                                     - The book of reminders   
      
   "I'll save the world for a phi."   
                     - the hidden teachings of St. Murphy   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)