Contemplating belief versus reality

Feel very sad as consider bit over three years since world was reeling with news of arrival of a deadly highly contagious virus. At first seemed like people were taking seriously. And I thought much basic would happen to help prevention of infection.

Know more than most on subject as while I enlisted despite having a physics degree, did get a direct commission eventually. Was in radiation safety which is a part of Preventive Medicine and learned much overall.

Somehow preventing infection though was not a priority recently which greatly puzzled. People focused on idea of vaccines and quickly decided were safe. And many quickly decided to move on.

Was very puzzled until pondered beliefs as also had rethought behavior with AIDS epidemic over three decades ago. Was horrified to realize was a very similar pattern.

Is clear to me now that many do not believe in viruses as actual things like say bullets or grenades. While I do and know can be just as lethal but more subtle as travel as microscopic particles. Situation remains grim as another lethal virus spreads much unchecked.

But is way more contagious and is clear world will not get decades with this one.

When pride tries to hide fall

Our species had some important advances in technology in late 1800's and early 1900's that greatly improved food production. Where advances with machines were a large part like with arrival of tractors. Plus industry got good at getting food to people all over the world. Supermarkets are modern marvels.

Historically food shocks had been most devastating area for humans and that changed. Should have been great! 

But instead massive wars erupted, mass conflict took over, and severe inequalities gained traction. And human species exploded into runaway growth.

Our species burned more and more relentlessly till blankets of carbon dioxide over world fueled more deadly weather. While accelerating evolution of viruses with stunning carelessness as behaved as if they were not most lethal things on planet.

Plenty of critiques questioned behavior that finally had clear consequences from 2020 when a pandemic was declared. And weather has worsened sharply, with huge flooding disasters created just by rain which are global now.

Yet, especially in nations like my own? Some insist things are ok! Claim original pandemic is over despite actual evidence showing is worse, and try to talk economy instead of rapidly disintegrating environment.

What is explanation? I think is pride.

Turns out critiques were correct. People did need to be responsible and be concerned about the future. 

Endless exploitation and greed were actually bad ideas. But folks many I think did think were successful with doomed behavior are not the types to admit were wrong have noticed.

Smart people though are working hard on handling reality rather than denying it for any reason. Is particularly sad to me that denial I perceive is for ego protection. People who screwed things up, actually behave worse as that is clear to try and hide that truth.

Our species though has always depended ultimately on dealing with reality and actually handling problems being deciding factor. 

Our communication with each other like am attempting with this post can talk from why of tragedy to path to renewal which I think is, responsible behavior.

When support tests relationships

Am in a unique position appreciate more and more. My major stressor for over a decade has been trying both to handle global attention as revealed by third party sources like Google, Twitter and Pinterest though web analytics, but also to appreciate my own mental fragility in certain areas.

Before did glide along as like to say, with a sense of handling things and taking care of myself as a very independent person, while feeling frustrated with my wariness in relationships.

And THOUGHT was more advanced in talking sexual abuse by two teenage girl babysitters when was 5.

But was shocked to get massive relief recently by FINALLY talking being beaten till I bled by my father when was 6. Where concluded was legacy slave training, which afflicts a population in the US not facing a brutal legacy.

Can be difficult to explain my mental things I think, even to myself. Feel like is against my training to properly accept. And now have come up with an analogy I find useful and will share as think will probably use a lot if really works well.

Like imagine a runner, who develops a hairline fracture in one or both legs, and GOES TO a doctor, who diagnoses it, and gets a treatment plan, which includes plenty of leg rest. But that runner's family? Gets tired of that person lying around and suggests is actually lazy...why not running like in the past? (Even though doing OTHER things MASSIVE with global reach, just not...running while legs are healing.)

And let us say that person exhausts family support and goes to others. And gets shocked at times, by a jolt, from some people supposedly helping trying to jolt into a run!!! Turns out? These people are looking at the person and are like, they don't see anything wrong.

Ok, well doctor...they don't believe in doctors, or any of that nonsense...they just know when people don't want to work! Or, um run. And this analogy begins to stretch credulity with PHYSICAL concerns.

But how many may know people who do NOT believe in mental health concerns? Maybe do not believe in any of it, think is all a way for lazy people to get over or, maybe think they just need religion? Or something else wacky?

So they PUSH and can happen that there is some break, as a person in mental and emotional AGONY, can respond like someone who has a hairline fracture in their legs being pushed into running all out, by others who refuse to care.

Am lucky though. As I process through my situation am more into leveraging it as well. And more into having no pity: if you are supposed to help people and refuse to accept medical diagnosis? Then I have no problem with that not working out well for you.

As get useful medical care, and continuing support thanks to being a veteran, and thanks to Bibb County, through Macon Housing Authority, appreciate the simplest thing: support that has the goal of real recovery.

Have run into people who clearly prefer to play games with other people's lives. And I'm like, ok.

We will witness, where we are the world, how that works out for you.

Which to me is a promise of transparency and as well as I can, best process.

Public works better for both. And in my opinion, is far safer too.


James Harris

Growing up different

Growing up as a Black person in the American Deep South was also growing up told was gifted, and could be anyone I wanted: First college course when was 12 at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College; Couple of summers at Duke University for their Talent Identification Program; And on to Vanderbilt University when graduated high school with highest SAT of my class.

And did get my B.Sc. in Physics in four years.

But what did I really wish to be?

Now like to call myself a meta innovator, and worked to dominate a search on.

Have posted here about certain things somewhat with: When civilization advances

But realized there can be many questions still I should try to answer.

Have had more than 23 years since my first major math discovery. Has been about 15 years since I dramatically demonstrated a problem with the foundations of mathematics. And over 3 years since functionally defined entertainment with a world of changes since then.

Older views on race ARE collapsing as more people learn was just a social construct--made up by racists. And the web helps a world of humans better keep up with human reality.

Human is human.

The world does keep up with me more than I like to admit in ways, while have routinely talked my global reach which is 100+ countries annually. Though for that number primarily reference my open source project for software developers. But that gives me my most direct objective evidence from downloads.

And my struggles with finding my proper place in this world are not that surprising to me. For someone like myself making money becomes a bigger question which has implications for human society in general. And my studies of money and economics are already changing our world as can more simply make the case for things like gender equality and proper pay.

Must work now to find place for my best work for pay and I relish the challenge. My greatest intellectual accomplishments am confident are behind me. The shattering of past things that did not work for simpler intellectual tools that do is a wonder that I appreciate.

But finding my place working shoulder to shoulder with my fellow human beings is what will bring me most satisfaction in life, am sure. And is key to taking care of myself and being able to support a family.

Is worth my best efforts there as well.


James Harris

Better when reality is checked

These days seems less remarkable to me to state that finding out web things of mine were pulling interest from more than 100 countries was disconcerting. For years struggled more silently in ways on the subject while have talked various ways on my blogs, like here.

Main thing is just seems so weird. And did not connect with what I knew or thought I knew of what are consequences around such a thing, how it happens, or what it signifies. Now I know that I just didn't know much that was true and problematically people lie a LOT in this area.

Like I discovered most of what I thought I knew about people often called celebrities--was a fiction. And a deliberate fiction for money-making purposes, which now am like, ok.

For me though the facts are where things matter especially checkable facts. Where have reached out for help, like as a veteran, and trot out something like being potentially known in over 100 countries and have had that information ignored.

Well I think the US Congress needs to get a clue and direct federal agencies to update to the 21st century, please. And specifically top to bottom all federal employees are to accept that objective factual reality when presented to a federal employee especially when that can impact the nation as a whole if ignored that can be grounds for termination.

Actually, I think it already is.

To me the main problem is: people who really are not listening to those they are supposed to help where am in a unique position to show how dramatic that can be.

That is very sad but consequences are very real, like with veterans not being helped in the best way.

Am in a much better mood as contemplate lessons learned and was good to go back to school as have done if only to remind myself of what I can do. Also struck me that learning technology around air conditioning and heating makes sense in a world where climate change may make such technology a matter of life and death. Someone like me needs to understand it thoroughly.

Where do I go from here? Right now am still in school but yeah, still need an income. And would happily work doing things like repairing home air conditioning, if only to stay away from the responsibilities of my position earned by the knowledge I have gained.

Part of me is like yeah, and another part of me is like, really?

Get stuck on that reality: can put up things that pull global interest and should maximize potential in good ways. Maybe now am less worried as well about other things where quite frankly, so-called celebrities were just freaking liars. Which is not to dismiss celebrity itself or ALL folks with the celebrity label.

Was just surprised by some checking of the reality found could do. And lots of times there definitely was a fiction created for promotional purposes. And in some cases, yeah felt was dealing with total fakery. But is an opinion.

Definitely am a fan of plenty.

Oh yeah, so how can someone reality check me? Is easy. So have multiple things that pull interest from over 50 countries. But these days my open source software project is the one thing that is routinely showing around 100. So far this year is only 98 countries though according to stats on SourceForge which I just checked.

How can you check me? On any search engine you can search: class viewer

If you go to the SourceForge site you should see downloads. Doing it myself I see 33 this week. Click on those stats and I see 430 downloads for quarter with 19% from the US. Click on countries and I scroll down to see that was from 65 countries. Time period is from July 15 through October 13.

So yeah, 65 countries in last 90 days. You can change the dates to do other things like I checked year to date to get that 98 countries.

Where reference much as is readily available information to the public and is where the total countries are most dramatic. The open source project itself is just a basic tool for Java developers which I put up on SourceForge back in 2004. Why is it still downloaded from so many countries? Guess is still useful.

Such simple facts, easily checkable, and what do they mean exactly? Well for any government worker you have verification of my global status. And if you ignore? What is wrong with you?

And why do you think you should still continue working for the federal government if because you ignore facts about me, you cannot truly help me? And THAT is your JOB?

We are in the 21st century now. Am past tired of having to deal with people who act as hostile gatekeepers because they work for our federal government yet refuse to properly acknowledge the web.

So they cannot help me.

There is just so much for me to learn have realized. Where really am kind of in a school for the web with lots of reasons to figure things out, where that has been true for well over a decade.

As gain more working knowledge of my particular situation and of the web can use in better ways. That is a clear goal for me.


James Harris

Accepting my global

Really have been lucky I think with the way things have gone as will talk relentlessly about global attention and details around it as trying to process and figure out. But how often do I just go, wow, am global? Where how is easy enough: web enables.

If you have things that can interest people around the world where those are idea things, you can put them out here and can get a global reality which I've had for over a decade.

But the experienced global reality simply did not fit my preconceived notions and there was no instruction manual. And also there were things I believed were true from looking at other global realities or people I thought were and it was like, huh?

Is nothing like what some folks were saying. And is odd to realize when certain people actually were not global, or were not in the same way. But maybe some organization was, and could promote certain people like they were.

Who do I mean? Who don't I mean, is more pertinent I think. Am simply stunned by the audacity now.

And then there was the problem of money. There IS the problem of money and reality is that at least with certain things I just shut down. Was like, none of these things are making sense.

And you think of just about any country that makes the news about just about anything and I have looked at that country in lists from web metrics showing I have something pulling interest there.

There was so much fake about the 20th century have realized.

As the web makes more sense and we get time with people who are drawing global to just witness what they can or cannot do, am getting back to solid ground.

But like look at them political. People think followers are actually followers when that is just some label some tech guys who themselves lack much demonstrated influence at all put there.

If had been me? I'd have used word--audience.

Your audience on the web? Can make or break you but more than likely most people will simply ignore you--unless you deliver something they want.

So much of the 20th century was fake which stuns me to write. Especially so hated various specious claims of fakery which are NOT true. Yes, NASA astronauts landed on the Moon. Of course there was the Holocaust which is a shame on our species along with so much else.

But about celebrity? Were so much lies.

We will get more of the truth in the 21st century am sure. And how will people handle the truth?

Am still struggling with myself let alone worrying about anyone else. And will figure it out. Will even figure out the money thing am sure.

Where am so wanting authenticity now. So wanting the stories to be real.


James Harris

Power of prediction in politics

Have emphasized the predictive power we get with science, which to me is definitive. And helps so much with weeding out things which may claim to be, but actually are not, science. Which so many experience on the daily with flipping a light switch.

We unlike our ancestors have little excuse to get mystical about light on demand.

Where politics is an arena where prediction can have a massive impact. Like consider how important it could be, for you, to know much about what will happen politically long before it does.

But is it possible? With MY focus on predictive certainty one can debate to what extent political science exists! Like when was the last time you chuckled to yourself as noted prediction of a political scientist--people with the title do exist--as something DID happen as predicted? And you were like, yup that political scientist was dead on!!! (Um, I have never had that happen will note.)

Years ago talked what I call political science though which I found to be very depressing. And started by noting a prior post where hypothesized that wealthy people might prefer loaning the government money with bonds, like US Treasury bonds, versus supporting government with taxes. And full theory then is that in order to keep that happening they would do just about anything to drive up government debt, including if they could, start wars.

Today of course in the United States we have had yet another tax cut, where was less hidden why was happening than in the past with even slight explanation. And am telling you was predictable--though I decried it on my social media, and tried to get ahead by saying would not happen. Well shows the value of that as my own political science ideas would suggest it WOULD happen. And has also been a push for war I think, where was expecting that, as accepted theory there. And just so some people who are wealthy can try to pay less taxes? That is what the theory suggests strongly.

Oh yeah, in case you missed it with that analysis, point of tax cuts wasn't just the extra money wealthy did not have to pay into taxes, but to drive up the US national debt. They would need a steady pool of US Treasury notes so would work to maintain a federal deficit--according to the theory.

So am relying on predictive value. Theory suggests something and I check on what actually happens.

But very depressing predictions indeed. But with what value? Well let's say am not the only one who looks for predictive certainty. Others can check on such things themselves. Science is not about some person's opinion. Like that light bulb? Does not light because some guy says some things he calls science.

Predictive certainty is a powerful tool. Start thinking about how it might help you? And it might save your life, and the lives of others. Especially if you are a young person who might have been sent off to war, to fight so some already wealthy people, could get wealthier.

My belief is that as we value science properly, and value each other properly, we will get to better government. Oh and maybe get to political scientists who talk such things, and get that a ha I suggested earlier. We do need fewer surprises in politics and not more I do think.

We also need to expect more from each other. And I think is best when we expect the best from people who know, or should learn, better.

Power of prediction in politics? May quite simply be, helping enable a better world.


James Harris

When civilization advances

My ability to take for granted advancing human civilization ended with my own major discoveries. And one of my most important was back December 1999, when introduced a new mathematical discipline, which I did not fully realize at the time.

Even when started making major finds, where a very challenging one was revealed to the world in 2004 when a paper had written was published by an at first brave math journal, which then disintegrated a little while after. Why? I had shown that existing accepted mathematical rules allow fake math results. Of course I expected the rules to be changed!

They were not and that was about fourteen years ago now. So now you know, if you believe me, or knew if know of that story that mathematicians around the globe have not only deliberately ignored the next great advance in mathematics, they have also hidden a problem that lets them fake success.

But advancing of human civilization is simply not easy. And reality of intense battles in the battles over ideas is actually not terribly surprising. With my story of course there is a racial component where I like the latest scientific results that race is a social construct. We know it was convenient to a time when slaves were a problem for Americans who claimed to love liberty. Our very Constitution talks about men being born equal with a right to pursuit of happiness, where in our times it is supposed to be people in general, without the gender bias.

Deciding there was such a thing as race where certain races were inferior and simply sub-human so human rules did not apply was a convenient dodge, which has been debunked in our times.

Yet inequalities remain where I have traced out much of that system.

Much of it was created simply by deliberate underpay am now certain. Like when slavery finally ended the former slaves were forced to go work for the people who had enslaved them, who maybe not surprisingly didn't pay them properly. But I now surmise they learned from watching what happened. They also gained control, and also helped them get more rich by simply taking money that had been earned by workers instead of giving it to them.

Soon American business concepts included deliberate underpay, which swept the globe. Businesses learned to leverage information against workers as if were decent business practice to pay them what you could get away with, rather than focusing always on proper pay.

It not only is stealing and helps business people who do it get wealthy at the expense of workers, but it also crushes the human spirit, and can help contain entire human populations. Also somehow the baggage can last. Today if there were any group that should be furious if paid less than they should be? It should be American Black folks, like myself.

I am, if that happens. Though have allowed some after had my major discoveries, just to study it. Have seen weirdly how with others? There is a learned resignation which I believe was learned over 150 years ago.

And in other countries, workers get that new, with deliberate underpay which in essence lets them have a form of part-time slavery which profits quite a few companies including American ones. The great news is that as the web helps people learn how much they should make for their efforts, pay is rising, around the globe.

Yet that was just one thing. And my arrival with a new great advance which helps humanity learn more powerful things upset more than just defunct notions around a social construct concept. My story pushed against a system which also have found included lots of people besides those caught by racial excuse, including women.

With that system deliberate underpay was most vicious for certain groups who could be so targeted based on forces which had brutal strength at a macro level, and have posted on as magnified bias, where consider as a group effect.

So along with Black folks, women could be targeted for deliberate underpay, but also crushed out of success with a certain peculiarity. Even being pushed out of areas where had been ok early, like with computer science, and the film industry in non-acting positions. While there were also limits in any area where intellectual achievement could push against the status quo including, yes, mathematics.

So yeah THAT suppression system has been working against me. So I study it.

Now over 18 years since my major discovery with major discoveries already helping our planet, am gratified to be able to also get answers in other areas. Sure found something wonderful for mathematics, but also was able to give answers that can help people in other areas.

Advancing of human civilization is a wonder. And we know these stories are just part of the grand story which is that of the human species.

May we ever keep discovering. May we ever keep learning.


James Harris

Uniform taxation proposal for web entities

The question of taxing activity on the web has been deferred for quite some time but as someone who has thought about gaining revenue on a global scale will admit am very interested in a uniform solution so have ideas for one.

To me the simplest solution is to have a global body tasked with gathering taxes at a globally decided percentage of revenue per user, or per transaction above flexible minimums which nations could set. So a web entity would simply report same to that body which would also collect those taxes and then distribute to nations.

Nations then would be tasked with further distribution, like here in the US down to the state level, where the state might then distribute down to the local level.

There is still some big data in there so that enough information is available for that to happen, but other than sharing that data the web entity has a simplified taxation position, and can be protected from worrying about granular distribution.

So the web entity would see only one taxing authority. That global taxing authority would only see nations for distribution. And then those nations would worry about the rest.

Some might wonder why such a system would be best but in my case for example am lucky enough to have a product in over 100 countries which is an open source software product so don't and won't have to worry about taxes, as is freely shared! That's cool and feel lucky is an option. Open source is one of the greatest things that thankfully arrived with the rise of the web.

But producing something for profit is daunting enough a prospect that will admit I'd just as soon not worry about lots of things, especially how could one handle just the taxes from a few nations let alone over 100?

The web by easing distribution means that web entities that are relatively small companies could potentially sell valuable products on large scales but be incapable of handling vastly different taxation rules. And even large corporations am sure find that burdensome though guess some may be facing it now. But nations just want the money, right?

Having globally agreed upon taxation levels could facilitate collection of tax revenue while removing impulse to cheat, facilitate business creation so a small company anywhere in the world could potentially handle worldwide product sales, and leave up to nations to still work through how they wish the money to further distribute.

These ideas are just some that occur to me pondering things, without claims of expertise with it noted am looking at my own interests in potentially having a company with a global product which operates for profit with the belief that in time there will be widespread taxation. It should not be construed as a claim of expertise in any related area. Nor do I claim it is the best solution or that it will lead to a solution as am simply putting forward ideas. If these ideas have been shared by others already, great!

Am not currently looking at anything on this subject though so as far as I know am putting out ideas that are products of my creativity, but I read a lot from all over. Besides the concept is simple enough I'd be surprised if not similar to ideas out there.

These ideas I consider open source, freely given to the world for its use, or can just be ignored. Benefit to me if used greatly outweigh any other so would make no further claims against anyone who used them. And further do not even ask for attribution back to myself.

Well that was fun. And yeah am NO expert in legal things, so I have to guess at things to handle potential areas where yeah, someone might get excited when there is no reason. These are just some ideas occurred to me today I wanted to share, and they are freely given.


James Harris

New public self

Web does something interesting in that even if not on it, it can push your public self in ways not previously true. Like if I meet someone and ask a few questions: Like, are you on social media? Do you watch web video? How do you get your news?

If a person is not on social media, doesn't watch web video and gets their news from television then I feel like I know a lot about that person quickly. If they ARE on social media for instance though then I may just go look and see what public they have up!

That public person is the modern persona which is available 24 hours a day.

We have a new kind of public self.

Like it dawned on me recently that MOST people who know of me anywhere, probably know of me because of things I have public on the web, like here.

Sat and pondered that sentence for a bit as very different from world I was trained to face as a kid, as that world evolved into our modern one, and a public reality that is increasingly default, even in the null case.

You have a public persona in the modern world whether you like it or not, even if it is a null one driven by NOT being on the web as people can find that out too!

For me the public persona is fun. It intrigues me that people can literally spend days reading through things I've written and maybe learn a bit about me, if they wish. Choice rules. If they lack interest though is not a negative for me as I will not know either way for most regardless. I will not know what choice was made by most people who come across my content. That is the new public reality that is true for all. Is maybe weird though? Thought and pondered that for a bit too.

Trying to measure though is the web analytics problem which consumes many.

And people trying to figure out where your interest goes is defining the web, and pushing back into society, as can help figure out decisions that will be made, like how you might vote in an election, like the recent one here in the US.

The web has the unique ability to potentially have information readily available on every single person on planet Earth. That potential is driving so much whether you like it or not, consider it or not, or know of it or not.

Your public self will matter, even if is null from trying to stay off the web.

And there will be people who will learn about you whether you wish them to know anything or not. For instance for many it's as simple as web search, as web search will likely tell.

Thinking how you present in public will define you, as how you think? Will determine how you act. And your actions will define the behaviors others may notice.


James Harris

Beyond the selfish gatherers

Most would probably agree our ancestors spent much of their time focused on basics like gathering food and having sources of potable water. And throughout human history the primary activity probably was focused on just those areas, with also gaining shelter, taking care of children being high on the list but further down. And then going down the line of priorities until there was time for things like entertainment.

As science and technology have increased predictability for so many humans, things have shifted and for instance in countries like the United States, where I grew up, very few people are directly working at producing food. Gathering it is as easy as going to a shopping market, which many take for granted.

I do not.

However, something else odd has happened. With money helping to fuel human civilization by allowing strangers to do favors for other strangers in exchange for a socially backed IOU we call money, human beings could move to many other things. Like today, a pedicure can be had. Theoretically a robot could someday give a pedicure, but I do wonder, what humans would want it?

If we focus on money as a way that humans interact with strangers, then there is no reason to believe human beings will not keep finding ways to employ each other, with contracts that allow limited social trust in that exchange of goods or services for remuneration.

So why so much inequity today in so many parts of the world that consider themselves well developed?

Simplest explanation will present--SOME humans apparently overly value gathering favors.

Like there are hoarders who will continue to pile up things in their living spaces for reasons that are gathering increasing study, I believe there are human beings who will gather social favors in the form of money, without regard to need. And they will do this gathering even if in so doing they destabilize society, and also do not give adequate return for the efforts of other humans.

Here I've noted the massive impact in US history of just one American who more than doubled the wages of his workers. Henry Ford managed to do something that shifted world history, and I think after him, others have been fighting a longer battle to reverse those lessons and nearly crashed the entire world economy in 2008, bringing the human story to a near stunning reversal which in the future may be seen simply as a sign of a mental illness prevalent with some not diagnosed.

Hoarding in a way that can destroy your nation? I think that qualifies as remarkable.

Why would a man fight for a billion dollars US as if his life depended on it if he already has half a billion? And convince himself his workers are worthless when without them he'd have nothing? Or that he shouldn't pay taxes at all, when without his country he would lack the ability to accrue his wealth? And then strut around like he's brilliant?

Few notice that relentless and ruthless aggregation of wealth has been promoted as a good, except to decry when it becomes the anthem of a movie. And finally maybe some were scared.

Greed is NOT good. And it never will be.

But face reality that today human beings in many areas suffer because other humans devalue their efforts, while accruing vast resources to themselves where it is dubious as to how that was deserved. Especially when you find that they view cheating as basic, lying as being smart, and have utter contempt for people who are destroyed by their behavior, when they trusted their society.

There is a basic faith I think most Americans like myself had that our country focused more on merit, gave opportunity, and valued its people. Which was shaken I think by some who were ruthless in exploitation of trust.

But that trust has gone. As a new political order begins to arise I think we will rethink how we value the efforts of strangers. How we decide who gets paid what. And realize that unlike our ancestors, desperate often for food and water, we decide our destiny in so many powerful nations.

So our communities have no excuse.

If there is plenty, yet so many are without even opportunity? Your society is corrupted, and I'm thinking you probably have people I see as parasitic lurking within your midst. Pulling resources to themselves--by any means they can without even a true enjoyment of it, as they are driven, like hoarders in ways they may not even understand.

Science will answer so many questions though. It's up to us to act on what we learn to be true.


James Harris

Reality check on government bonds

My understanding is that the primary way governments raise revenue for government services is with taxes, but also there is the issue in our modern world of government bonds.

One way bonds can be convenient for a government is if there is a sudden need for revenue, but it's not feasible to rapidly raise taxes on its population, so instead it issues bonds--letting its citizens loan it money, temporarily.

So what if some of those citizens loan the government money for continuing operations on a longterm basis, yet receive services?

Imagine some situation where the government instead, say, rose taxes by $1 trillion US instead of issuing bonds, then it would take that money directly from its people, where in a progressive tax system that means the wealthy would pay the bulk and just lose that money.

Money paid for taxes is just gone. When you pay your taxes, just say bye-bye to that money.

Instead, let's say the wealthy loan the government that $1 trillion US, and get the services anyway, so now they didn't lose the money! The government owes them for services it provided to its citizens, including them.

So the government still provided the services! In one case they just taxed people to pay for them, while in the other some people got to loan the money in, meaning they can get it back!

See how that works? If it were taxed, they'd just lose the money, though they would also get government services in return. But if instead, they have a government run deficits, they can get it back!

Understand why the wealthy might prefer such a system?

But can it work forever? No. The government is providing services! Those cost money, which have to come in taxes, so it's deferring the costs to later generations, or the government will default down the line.

That means the total national debt rises. But guess who get most of the interest payments?

The wealthy who own the bulk of it. For instance most of the US debt is owned by Americans, so don't get distracted by which foreign power owns a chunk of it. Most of it is owned by American citizens.

That money is owed to them where to pay it the government needs to tax, where presumably they would pay the bulk of it, to get the money owed, yup, to them!  Unless they can live to a ripe old age and die first, of course.

However, if you're some wealthy person who has your taxes cut down by a huge level, do you necessarily care who has to pay for services you received along with others?

I'm not wealthy, so I don't know if they consider that or not.

But, if money is your focus, I wonder if you'd care who has to finally pay for those government services you loaned money to the government to have, versus being taxed for them.

Government services have ballooned under this system. It's not clear to me, if it's fixable, as I see it as a problem. Conceivably we could balance budgets, and run surpluses until national debts are eliminated, but I'm not seeing evidence of a movement in that direction around the world.

Like, our politicians seem remarkably uninterested in making that happen, despite talking about it quite a bit, but um, anyone notice how many of them are rich?

James Harris

When prestige has merit

The web is a vast distribution network which moves information around the globe, and the quality of that information will I think move the world to a merit measure for prestige.

Like consider the Wikipedia. If you want to know a lot about its potency you can check studies. As much as I'd like to link to independent ones the most definitive source is, yup, the Wikipedia itself:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliability_of_Wikipedia

That is a bit irritating as I prefer independent sources, and didn't see any that seemed suitable when I did a search on Google for this article. Some government or something should have something up, if they knew what they were doing. But a lot of governments today clearly do not.

Prior to the ability to have a world pick for itself, institutions gained prestige by many means and carried that over time. But notice the ignominy now hovering over the prestigious news agency The New York Times, which in my mind is that group of people who with President George W. Bush helped more than most to lead the United States into war. That may sound harsh, but why sugarcoat it?

To me then there is what I'll call classical prestige, and functional prestige.

The Wikipedia has functional prestige: people know it works as they use it, and some people have checked it against other prestigious sources.

While The New York Times has classical prestige: it retains prestige despite some of the greatest press failures in recorded history. People see it as prestigious with it debatable as to whether or not it is functioning at that level.

But that appears to be a learned response. And as new generations arise without being taught that a particular institution has prestige then they are more likely to switch to functional prestige.

The difference with functional prestige is people know the value from moment to moment from what they can use in their daily lives.

That has practical importance to me, as I have various ideas out there in prestigious areas, like my own definition of science, and my own ideas for a science of money.

Those are functional ideas in areas where far more prestigious sources have a lot of dominance. But the web lets me put forward new ideas where I can rely on the discretion of many people.

If the ideas are valuable because they work, then they can gain their own functional prestige, which then is entirely about merit.

The science of money by itself can change the world, not because the original source--me--is prestigious. But because the functional need is so great.

People need to understand money in our modern world. It's just that simple.

In the old world people or organizations could build prestige over time, becoming reliable sources, who could lead the world down dark and wrong paths based primarily on that prestige alone.

The new world pushes your ideas to always work, and catches you immediately when you slip up, and then keeps reminding you constantly of your failure.

And that is how civilization will work best.

It's a new way of doing things. It's the best way of doing things.

Prestige should have merit. Now thanks to the inexorable progress of science and technology which connects people in a way that allows constant checking and accurate reporting on those checks--it can.

And I do think that most prestigious institutions around the world are ready for that challenge and are meeting it.


James Harris

Predictive certainty

Something which fascinates me is the calmness with which many people I'm sure flip a light switch. The idea of light on demand is so common in my country that many people are simply shut down to a large extent with a power outage. There may be a rushing about to find a flashlight or candle, as people worry about when power crews will get the power back on.

The predictive certainty with which many of us operate allows us to live daily lives without thinking of it that way, while some seem certain we live in uncertain times, when we don't usually worry about crops on any given year, unless maybe a farmer. Few of us are keeping up with livestock, or worrying about what vegetables or fruits are in season. For many a trip to the grocery store is a casual process.

Reality is that living in the most advanced countries brings an extraordinary amount of certainty. And many know that science has something to do with it, but I found myself wondering why concerns about climate sparked so much questioning, and realized that few people may realize that science is about predictive certainty.

So why are people calm about a light switch but ready to challenge the best scientific experts about whether or not the climate is changing?

How do people get into their automobiles and calmly turn the key, to get to work on time, yet feel free to question related scientific principles when it is something as important as the climate of the planet?

Looking around at established definitions of science I think they are problematic. How do you read an established definition of science and know if someone is doing it or not? How do you carry confidence about the electricity flowing in your house yet question the possibility of epic change to the climate of your planet.

So I came up with my own definitions. These are not established. But I'm going to use them to give a functional view of science, show how predictive certainty works, and point out how you can know when someone is doing science.

science (noun): the art of prediction using methodologies and tools to expand zones of certainty by discovery of a predictive framework.

scientific theory (noun): predictive framework found by using science.

scientist (person): practitioner of science.

Science can be about medical science, where a doctor can set a broken bone with predictive certainty. Or it can be about bureaucratic science, where an MBA can learn management techniques for a particular size company. Or automotive science can allow a mechanic to fix your car, or hype up the performance of a race car.

But can a scientist just wake up one morning and definitively say a solution exists for a particular problem?

Usually, no. Experiments and theory and more experiments and studies by various scientists over time can find things that people may have never even realized were possible, so there is an art to it.

My definitions may seem extremely abstract. Where is the scientific method? Why no mention of the natural world or phenomena? How can I not use the word "experiment" or "hypothesis"?

Yet all those things are encapsulated within the abstraction. That's what abstraction is for: getting to the essence of the thing without unnecessary extra.

Experiments involve tools and methodologies to expand zones of certainty by discovery of a predictive framework. That predictive framework lets you do things like wire a house. Work on more efficient propulsion systems. Or produce a new vaccine.

Scientists make predictions.

Let me repeat: scientists make predictions!

That physicist tells you what will happen if you gather enough weapons grade plutonium together into a nuclear bomb.

That biologist tells you how to combat a particular bacterium.

That computer scientist tells you how to build a massively scalable architecture to process Big Data from a billion users around the globe.

Science is not about the unknown. Science is our predictive certainty of the known. It's about those things for which we are sure. That ever growing body of predictive certainty is what our civilization relies upon.

Scientists work to grow that predictive certainty. Beyond the boundaries of that work there are vast stretches of unknown areas. But mystery is not science. It can drive our best scientific minds to discovery.

But mystery is where our science has not yet arrived.

And if you dare to plan, rely on your vehicle to get you there on time, feel confident on that alarm to wake you, or that phone to make the call if needed, you believe in that predictive certainty which came from science.

So believe in it too when it tries to help you and others save your world.

Climate science has much that is certain. But more emphasis where it is uncertain which is where the excitement for scientists exists. That's unfortunate for those who seize upon the edges of predictive certainty to cast doubt on it all.

But I'm sure they have no qualms when they flip a light switch.

James Harris

Understanding tax cuts

As an issue there are few that get as much interest in modern American society as tax cuts. And I think a problem in this society is that people think it's obvious why some people would want tax cuts, which is where you get a massive fail.

It's not obvious enough.

If it were obvious then the issues could be discussed intelligently, while instead people seem to be intransigent, I think is the word, with two sides who are crazed enough at times to endanger the entire planet's economy over the issue!

Seems it should be figured out.

The best answer I have is that some people get really rich, and then they eventually die. If they have descendants, often those descendants are not as capable as the person who got really rich!

It's the same problem that nobility have. The guy who became king is a bad-ass. His kids? Not so much.

Well the descendants want to do well as well, and of course it kind of bites for them to realize they're not as good as the one who became king, or master of finance, which means they engage in all kinds of bizarre behavior around the issue.

With nobility maybe they'd start a war and just get killed, but with finance, maybe they start a financial war and go bankrupt! (I think there are people who would rather start a physical war and get killed because of their shoddy skills than end up bankrupt.)

So there you have it: people who really need tax cuts are people afraid of losing their money.

Oh, how is it that Americans can miss something so simple?

Well the United States has bizarre beliefs about money, and many in this country believe that rich people are automatically awesome and intelligent.

They do not realize that you can both be rich and stupid.

Our global financial system is getting really competitive. It's easier to lose your money, ergo people afraid of losing their money are fighting hard for a leg-up, which means tax cuts!

Many of these people gained their money from someone else giving it to them while for the most part the ones who fought hard and earned it themselves, like say, Warren Buffett, are more agnostic towards tax cuts because they are not as afraid.

They know how to make money.

The others are those pitiful things called descendants, who have that eternal problem that Mother Nature or chance or Fate can give some dude or dudette all kinds of abilities to conquer and dammit, just leave their kids high and dry as ordinary as the day is long.

I don't blame them for wanting help!

Now then, when you see people howl about the need for tax cuts, just look at how they got their money, and you will be puzzled no more.


James Harris

Grape has more genes than you

Source: Yahoo! News

Wine grape genes mapped
By JENNY BARCHFIELD, Associated Press Writer Thu Sep 27, 1:51 PM ET

...A team of French and Italian researchers has mapped the genome of the pinot noir grape, used to make bubbly and many red wines from France's Burgundy region and around the world — and it has about 30,000 genes in its DNA. That's more than the human genome, which contains some 20,000 to 25,000 genes.

Iceland's clean energy

Source: CNN

... Virtually all of the country's electricity and heating comes from domestic renewable energy sources -- hydroelectric power and geothermal springs.

It's pollution-free and cheap....