Thermodynamics is the most fundamental science.  The observed laws of thermodynamics are true across the universe, right down to the the quarks that make up hadrons, and even the the things we know nothing about like dark matter and dark energy seem to follow the laws.

Thermodynamics

The second law of thermodynamics is what I want to talk about:

The total entropy of any isolated thermodynamic system always increases over time, approaching a maximum value.

The definition of entropy.

Basically, things will continue to become more and more complicated until an equilibrium is reached.

Just a thought

I’ve suggested in earlier articles that life is the universe.  Humans are not a part of the universe, we are the universe. As Carl Sagan famously said: “We are starstuff.”

The nature of the universe is entropic.

Think for a second about this:  What if survival is a transcendent mechanic?  What if a survival mechanic is prerequisite to existence?

Think about the universe, and everything in it, as one entity.  All the matter, light, life forms, planets, stars, black holes, radiation, and dark matter…everything, as one.  According to the big bang theory, it all had to start somewhere, so it’s not unreasonable to think of everything in the universe, including humans, as related on the quantum level.

So what if the universe has a survival mechanic built into it?

If so, then wouldn’t the emergence of life be inevitable?  Wouldn’t life be a necessary step in the evolution of the universe?  Wouldn’t evolution be an integral part of the universe?

That survival mechanic of the universe is called entropy.  Nature = entropic.

42

The first event I went to was a writer symposium about food in fiction.  The discussion wasn’t very exciting, and the authors weren’t very insightful, but they did bring up a few interesting points. Food can bring believability to a character, and it can help in determining the personality of characters.  I brought up the use of food as a recurring character, and at least one of the authors were fascinated by this concept, and offered me some advice:  Make the appearance of this character gradual, very gradual.

I then preceeded directly to the room across the hall, where Patrick Rothfuss, my favorite fantasy author, held a Q&A.  OMFG, Patrick is fraking amazing!!!!!!!

He’s funny, intelligent, sarcastic, and brutish.  My first question to him was:

“Could you elaborate on your use of music in The Name of the Wind?  How did you go about incorporating it, and why?”

To answer, he brought up the “art of extrapolation”.  Basically, Rothfuss knows very little about music, but he’s very good at extrapolating the meaning and the subtleties in things he doesn’t know about.  Like women and music (two core themes in The Name of the Wind).

I consider The Name of the Wind to be an excellent example of how to develop a character, so my second question, toward the end of the talk was:

“Do you have any precise method for developing a character?”

We didn’t have much time left, so he answered by saying that natural, believable character dialogue was one of the most important ways to develop a character.

On our way out, we grabbed custom made fortune cookies.  The red cookies contained vulgar messages related to Rothfuss and his works, and the orange ones contained regular ones.  My cookie says:

“Book two, page 348-353, Kvothe and Bast fuck like bunnies.”

After that, I went to the exhibitor floor (the gencon that you see in pictures), and browsed.  Saw some pretty interesting new games, gold and silver d20 ear rings, lots of cosplay, cool shirts, OH GODS! FIRE!!!

….I’ll add more when I fee like it…

At around 42:40, the President makes a terrible comparison.

“How can a private company compete against the government? My answer is that if the private insurance companies are providing a good bargain, and if the public option has to be self-sustaining, meaning that taxpayers aren’t subsidizing it, but it has to run on charging premiums and providing good services, and a good network of doctors, just like private insurers do, then I think private insurers should be able to compete.

“They do it all the time. If you think about it, UPS and Fed-Ex are doing just fine. It’s the Post Office that’s always having problems…. there is nothing inevitable about this somehow destroying the private marketplace. As long as it is not set up where the government is being subsidized by the taxpayers so that even if they are providing a good deal, we keep having to pony up more and more money.”

First of all, the taxpayers ARE subsidizing the post office.

Secondly, the Post Office isn’t competing with FEDEX, UPS, or anyone.  In fact, if you try to compete with them, you’ll break the law:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/39/usc_sup_01_39_10_I.html

Thirdly, an excerpt from the July 2009 GAO report:

“GAO is adding the US Postal Service’s (USPS) financial condition to the list of <b>high-risk areas</b> needing attention by Congress and the executive branch to achieve broad-based transformation.
This year, USPS expects to increase its year-end debt to $10.2 billion, and incur a cash shortfall of about $1 billion.”

“This year, USPS expects to increase its year-end debt to $10.2 billion, and incur a cash shortfall of about $1 billion.”

point made?

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A Southern California college student faces 10 years in prison for violating section 1201 of the Digital Millinium Copyright Act, which forbids circumvention of electronic copy protection schemes.

The Entertainment Consumers Association accuses him of illegally modifying game consoles.

A possible 10 years in prison for tinkering.

Why is copyright infringement punishable with a jail sentence?

Repeal the DMCA, completely.

Stop putting DRM systems in software and electronics.

Stop “licensing” products to consumers.

And get the ESA out of the copyfight completely.