Color is a visual phenomenon. Some would say that the essence of color is the qualia of seeing color (see Mary the color scientist). Qualia or no, it’s incorrect to make a direct association between color perception and the wavelength or frequency of light. They are related, of course. A source that produces monochromatic light…
Author: Kenneth
Cat owner, educator, learner
The math of matching pairs of socks
Suppose you have a collection of pairs of shoes and pairs of matching socks. Let’s think about two questions: Can you create a set containing one shoe from each pair? The answer is yes, for example you could take the left shoe from each pair. Can you create a set containing one sock from each…
The pigeonhole principle
Let me tell you about one of my favorite things. The pigeon and dove family, Columbidae, is a group of widespread and common birds. Members of this family were domesticated thousands of years ago and they have had symbolic importance throughout history. Many species continue to live closely with humans. People who keep pigeons are…
The definition of insanity
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. This well-circulated quote is often attributed to Albert Einstein. I find it somewhat strange in that that is clearly not “the definition of insanity”. Insanity has multiple definitions. “Sane” and “insane” come from the Latin word for health. In…
Give trans people a chance
(Note to reader: this is an ally’s opinion) The Gay Agenda in action Around the turn of the millennium, gay marriage became a serious national issue in the US. Opposition to it came from the social and political right. Fundamentally, the opposition was based in homophobia, the tendency to feel fear, discomfort and disgust towards…
Categorizing life
Is a spider a bug? Is a tarantula a spider? Is a whale a fish? All of these could reasonably be answered either “yes” or “no” depending on how these categories are understood. Is there a correct way to categorize living things? The taxonomic hierarchy Why categorize at all? Humans, or our ancestors, identified similarities…
The stopless sentence
People write text messages in different ways just like people speak in different ways. While all these different communication styles tend to work equally well, they function differently and the way any given person does something has a purpose. There are of course patterns and even “text dialects” because everyone learns how to communicate from…
Remark: The naming of The Matrix (1999)
I don’t know how the title of The Matrix was chosen, but it’s an interesting title. I mean, I know it’s named after the matrix in the movie, but I don’t know how that name was chosen. Most people know the term matrix from math, where it refers to a 2D array of numbers. In…
The scientists who publish Wikipedia articles as research papers
I was reading Wikipedia, as one does, and came across the article on hypnosis. The opening section contains this paragraph: During hypnosis, a person is said to have heightened focus and concentration and an increased response to suggestions. Hypnosis usually begins with a hypnotic induction involving a series of preliminary instructions and suggestions. The use…
Beware the last word
I recently saw an edited clip on YouTube in which a person said something that was false but very funny in response to a question. In the comments, someone said that the person in the video didn’t respond to the question that way, and that the clip was just edited to make it seem that…
thoughts on mind 