(J) Xeno's Paradoxes: Though the world is discrete our best description (calculus) is continuous. Great interest lies where the two meet, e.g., Xeno’s paradoxes
Snow Storms: It’s snowing again; second time it has snowed hard this week “Ethereal”. I offered a friend a ride to run an errand, indicating, “I love to ‘challenge the storm', or rather tame it, or really more see it, though sometimes I also 'feel it' getting stuck and needing a tow. So dress warm for that potentiality. He said he’d think about it. Now I await his call.
For a trip down memory lane I thought, “Can I remember all the times I got stuck in the snow and needed a tow?” Let me count the ways, no order implied.
- Philadelphia to Washington DC in about 1985, a very heavy, wet, March snow. Road Warrior trip diverted to Philadelphia for Dulles airport. Rented a car and with 3 others started out for DC in the middle of the snow storm marching up the coast that closed Dulles. We made about 80 miles in 4 hours when in Baltimore following a snow plow during a whiteout, I ran into the 6 foot pile he was pushing to the side of the road. Another person drove as pushed the car out of the snow, then headed to DC. The government was closed for the first time in history because of snow, 18 to 24 inches fell and clung to the branched of soaked spring soil and 1000’s of trees were uprooted though very little wind. I spent the day at Great Falls State Park, the falls swollen by spring runoff and the rocks of the Fall Line covered with snow, beautiful.
- Sierra Nevada’s in 1968 or so, driving from Salt Lake City to San Francisco, another whiteout storm, and following a plow truck again. Into the throw-off of the truck. A friend and I waited 3 hours for the tow truck.
- Woodstock, December 2011, 11 inch snow. I just had to “get out and see what’s what.” I turned my Ford Explorer into what I thought was a plowed parking lot. I was not and I pushed enough snow under the car to lift the front wheels off the snow-covered parking lot. Oh well, somebody gave me a ride to the towing company and the owner was just returning from another “rescue” and pulled me out.
Aphorism 47 This journal is Dad’s book. One thing I remember about him is that he “cut corners” on the S shaped curve around the pond at Watkins brick house. Mom would often say, “Slow down Pom” though he was going very smoothly with almost no side acceleration, efficient use of space and time but at a speed no doubt above that which were he “to stay in his lane”. That speed would increase the side acceleration despite slowing down. I cut corners when I drive whenever I can so long as it achieve its objective of safely and smoothly getting to my destination. Thanks Dad.
Free will vrs. Determinism, vrs. Predestination vrs. All Knowing Good God vrs. Evil Devil, vrs. Dice with the universe
I suspect at times they are all right, since I seem to have free will. However my computer brain cannot handle all the infinite possibilities, so at least I think it's free. Maybe God’s computer can compute with infinity, something else above my pay grade.
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