Pathological monsters! cried the terrified mathematician
Every one of them is a splinter in my eye
I hate the Peano Space and the Koch Curve
I fear the Cantor Ternary Set And the Sierpinski Gasket makes me want to cry
And a million miles away a butterfly flapped its wings
On a cold November day a man named Benoit Mandelbrot was born

His disdain for pure mathematics and his unique geometrical insights
Left him well equipped to face those demons down
He saw that infinite complexity could be described by simple rules
He used his giant brain to turn the game around
And he looked below the storm and saw a vision in his head
A bulbous pointy form
He picked his pencil up and he wrote his secret down

Take a point called Z in the complex plane
Let Z1 be Z squared plus C
And Z2 is Z1 squared plus C
And Z3 is Z2 squared plus C and so on
If the series of Z's should always stay
Close to Z and never trend away
That point is in the Mandelbrot Set

Mandelbrot Set you're a Rorschach Test on fire
You're a day-glo pterodactyl
You're a heart-shaped box of springs and wire
You're one badass fucking fractal
And you're just in time to save the day
Sweeping all our fears away
You can change the world in a tiny way

Mandelbrot's in heaven, at least he will be when he's dead
Right now he's still alive and teaching math at Yale
He gave us order out of chaos, he gave us hope where there was none
And his geometry succeeds where others fail
If you ever lose your way, a butterfly will flap its wings
From a million miles away, a little miracle will come to take you home

Just take a point called Z in the complex plane
Let Z1 be Z squared plus C
And Z2 is Z1 squared plus C
And Z3 is Z2 squared plus C and so on
If the series of Z's should always stay
Close to Z and never trend away
That point is in the Mandelbrot Set
Mandelbrot Set you're a Rorschach Test on fire
You're a day-glo pterodactyl
You're a heart-shaped box of springs and wire
You're one badass fucking fractal
And you're just in time to save the day
Sweeping all our fears away
You can change the world in a tiny way
And you're just in time to save the day
Sweeping all our fears away
You can change the world in a tiny way
Go on change the world in a tiny way
Come on change the world in a tiny way

There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to public interest. This strange doctrine is not supported by statute or common law. Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back.

R. A. Heinlein - "Lifeline"

Does anyone in my friend space know this song? Wanna comment about it as an inner psychological gestalt?

here it is - it was from a contra dance on Halloween. both of these ladies are great dancers

I post this ever yule --- an I will keep doing it till my atoms decide to stop being me. In this season I hope that everyone finds their way home. That some way each of us (me especially) can find a path away from violence, cruelty, and "plan old meanness" as my mom would put it. Forgive, let it slide into your past, be something new. Wish something good for others (especially those who are stupid, mean-spirited, or just suffering from the anonymity of being in an automobile) Do this for yourself - be selfish and know in your heart that you are helping, not hurting) ...and for those (like myself) who get caught up in endless navel gazing - do something for someone else - it easiest way to break any mental malfunction that you have (especially depression and obsessive compulsion IMHO)

Compassion Reigns - and take a moment to remember the part of you that might be the old man calling me.


Hope everybody's ringing on their own bell, this fine morning.
Hope everyone's connected to that long distance phone.
Old man, he's a mountain.
Old man, he's an island.
Old man, he's a-walking says
``I'm going to call, call all my children home.''

Hope everybody's dancing to their own drum this fine morning ---
the beat of distant Africa or a Polish factory town.
Old man, he's calling for his supper.
Calling for his whisky.
Calling for his sons and daughters, yeah ---
calling all his children round.

Sharp ears are tuned in to the drones and chanters warming.
Mist blowing round some headland, somewhere in your memory.
Everyone is from somewhere ---
even if you've never been there.
So take a minute to remember the part of you
that might be the old man calling me.

How many wars you're fighting out there, this winter's morning?
Maybe it's always time for another Christmas song.
Old man he's asleep now.
Got appointments to keep now.
Dreaming of his sons and daughters, and proving ---
proving that the blood is strong.

Okay, so my fevered brain has this question - most of the folk that I know would likely say it is possible to love someone without being "in love" with them. Is the converse true? - is it possible to be "in love" with someone without loving them? I'll head off the obivious answer by saying that by "in love" I don't mean "in lust" or "carbonated hormones" or any momentary "body drives the brain" kind of thing.

also, I'm not in anything that resembles this - I'm just thinkin'

"Aliens vs. Matador"

There, I've said it and it is out of my head - sigh. Anyone else have original movie title puns just following them around?

I feel strongly both ways...

Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz The higher of these two numbers below indicates which side of your brain has dominance in your life. Realising your right brain/left brain tendancy will help you interact with and to understand others. Left Brain Dominance: (11) Right Brain Dominance: (10) Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz

The Five Love Languages

My primary love languages are probably
Physical Touch and Quality Time.

Complete set of results

Physical Touch:		8
Quality Time:		8
Acts of Service:		6
Words of Affirmation:		6
Receiving Gifts:		2

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

I'm currently at and environmental conference in Kingsport, TN. Since it has been a longish day and the hotel resturant is excellent (but pricey) I decided to eat at the hotel. I ended up sitting at a window table with a lovely view of the mountains (with a free view of interstate highway (not so lovely)). While I was eating my salad, a bunny came out of the bushes and started on its evening salad. The bunny stayed just outside of the window for almost all of my meal. YAY! It is good to be reminded of why I do the work that I do ( all sing... not cute like everyone supposes, they've got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses. And what's the deal with CARROTS, what do they need such good eyesight for anyway? Bunnies! I tell you it must be Bunnies!)

Does anyone know the origin of the statement:

"God?, I'm okay with god, it is the fan club that I have problems with." (probably badly paraphrased)

M3

short skirt, long jacket, heh? does anyone remember?

Ive noticed a variation in the various mainstream "blog" services - In livejournal I am most likely to get responsive posts, in Blogspot it seems that posters seldom respond to comments on their blog, in Myspace people leave unsolicited posts in various blogs. Has anyone had similar experiences? different ones? any cogent observations on these various online text cultures?

Love - is the state where another's happiness and welfare are a requirement of one's own.

Sex Making Love - is any physical thing (contact, interaction, ga'blada thingamie) that creates a connection with another's soul (mind, wtf you should choose to call it) (we aren't connected by ropes, we are connected by threads - lots of them)

Definitions aren't perfect - all words are metaphors (except for "word" - the most perfect literalism) but.. I would like to improve my definitions - I invite slings and arrows (and more importantly, constructive comments)

Madsark (URSA Conundrum)the harmless in gold

if you can identify the origin of this quote:

"I know what you are thinking... What is a place like me doing in a girl like this?"

Keep your points - they are redeemable for valuable prizes

Sleet upon my truck
I have stayed awake too long
Perhaps I will sleep

Warmer at the dawn
A new day will begin then
Who am I, here, now?

I wander the world
Seeking my true self, in loss
Who am I then, hmmm?

A lost date, sickness
What am I seeking, tell me
Goddess, show me my path

I want to belong
Where am I, walking this world?
I want to belong

Money spent, to task
Is it nothing but effect?
I still seek my course.

What is right action?
I seek only my meaning
Where do I go now?

That's all I got to say,
Can't think of a better way,
And that's all I've got to say,
I love you, is that okay?

N. Bedingfield

I know a great(tm) secret - and most other folks know it as well (but they keep ***expletive deleted*** forgetting) Rare, rare, rare is the person who is evil from their own perspective and... the person who claims "I don't care" really does care - the reality is that he/she/hir just doesn't really want to HURT anymore. So if you have a chance to show and give grace, please do so (like my request means anything - heh) the other option is to consign yourself to being a biological machine with no will at all. (discordians would call the latter a "cabbage" and the former a "real human being")(being gracious to others doesn't mean being a kisser of rings or licker of boots (although, if it makes you happy...) it is about what you think of yourself)

M3 - shaken, not stirred (which leads to another tangent about the oil content of vodka derived from potato's vs grain)