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Post by dennisw on Nov 23, 2023 13:08:54 GMT 10
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Post by Ian Thomas on Nov 23, 2023 21:23:04 GMT 10
Entropy must be the most impenetrable concept there is in Physics. Imho, anyway. With units of Joules/degK, as in energy-per-temperature, you'd seem to have a problem when T -> 0 Then there's Shannon's Info Entropy which must be the same thing (I think?) bc every info 'bit' requires a packet of energy. Then there's Boltzmann's Eqn ... and Gibbs' entropy ... and canonical ensembles and .. the Partition Function. Aaargh!!!!  I plod on 'cuz I'm interested and there's no one breathing down my neck and no one to keep up with. I spent my mid teens to early 20s in court - and working on my case(s) in between sessions. Long story short - was charged with assault, offered lenient treatment if I took the fall, as in mea culpa, and wrote out grovelling apologies in exchange for collecting street trash for a day and a promise to be a good lad for 12 months. Told'em to get f*cked, "See you in court, ya bastards." 5 years later, I had won! ✌🏻🏆  Take away lesson: if you have $$$$s 💰 for a competent barrister you can win even when you have no leg to stand on.  Therefore never, ever plead guilty to anything, do not concede a single centimetre, not ever. And do not be swayed by cops' and prosecutors' threatening demeanor and hints of "going easy". Second lesson, the law is slow. Defending a prosecution when your opponent is a big corporation will take up years'n'years. So, it all meant I missed high school from year 9 onwards. But not to worry, it's been private study and tutors ever since. I think(?) I have a good grounding in the basics of maths & physics but, I tell you Dennis, a dude (or lady, even) who can actually convey the basics in a simple, comprehensible way is worth his (or her) weight in gold. They're thin on the ground. Didn't Einstein had something to say along those lines? About explaining stuff to your barber ... ?
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Post by dennisw on Nov 24, 2023 7:12:26 GMT 10
Einstein was right if you can't explain it to your barber you don't know it. Feynman had one I like too, If you think you know quantum mechanics you don't know quantum mechanics. Entropy is kind of in the same basket. Just when you get a handle on something, something else crops up.
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Post by Ian Thomas on Nov 24, 2023 9:15:09 GMT 10
Insightful lightbulb moments when studying scientific ideas are nice 💡. They give you a certain warm, glowy feeling. But for anyone thinking about science-as-career option, Einstein offered realistic advice on that ...  * Hmm. Image link not working too good.
Just experimenting with long defunct Thylacoleo (freebie) websites. Are they still any good for anything, like as image warehouses?
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Post by dennisw on Nov 25, 2023 9:49:08 GMT 10
Link worked fine, but Einstein was right. He said if he came back it would be as a plumber - people need plumbers. One grandson took him at his word and became a plumber and is making more money than any siblings and cousins and the extended family includes a professor, 2 doctors and 4 lawyers (sounds like a bunch of Jewish professions) but out of 35 grandkids the plumber looks like being the most financially successful.
When I went to Uni I didn't want to do medicine as an asthmatic since just after the war I had seen enough sick people, I didn't want to do law because I didn't want to deal with criminals so I did Commerce specialising in business management and IT (in those days called EDP)and found myself dealing with more criminals in business than if I had been a lawyer. I studied physics while financed by business and claimed tax deductions stating it was necessary for my career. I was in my 40's before I wrote my physics thesis but that opened some exciting doors, but that becomes a long story - some of which I will include in a new book which I hope to complete this year.
I don't know what the tax man thought about financing my science studies when I bought a farm and then 3 restaurants and 4 hotels (not all at once), a pretty busy 30+ years but it also included taking a year off and living on a yacht and sailing the Pacific (mostly in Australian waters, we have some great islands and coastal cities and it is quite a saving visiting in your own yacht. Cheap accomodation and if you are a good sailor no fuel to speak of, wind is still free.)
Back to Einstein's comment. My GP also has a doctorate in physics but found if he wanted to make money he had to do medicine. He was born in NZ and I could never understand why a Kiwi would do physics they have a fear of it and are more ignorant than average Aussies. The only jobs really are teaching, we don't do any research or we wouldn't be importing Chinese windmills and solar panels, one guy in my class at school wound up as physics professor at ANU, and was pretty good but I have managed to get more research time, but not the equipment. I also don't have the restrictions.
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Post by Ian Thomas on Nov 26, 2023 9:11:41 GMT 10
Got an idea Feynman once said, if they ran the tape again he'd go into management .. Totally agree. Observation tells us successful crooks wear good suits. I haven't run any businesses like you have Dennis. Dad gave me some $$$s for my 21st - which I put into stocks. Have hung onto them ever since: stable, mainstream ones like Woolies, CSL, CBA, BHP et al. Basically, "buy and hold", a-la Warren Buffet's * technique. Although I do 'play' junior resource stocks bc their volatility provides opportunity for short-term trades. I like coal, especially - eg WHC. Greenies can get stuffed; somewhat like Elvis, "Old King Coal" still is The King 👑 and its track record proves it. A regular source of petty cash is essential for electronics RnD, bc it's quite expensive. Did a bit of sailing back in primary school but, unlike yourself, no cruising on big yachts. Sis and I were in the Black Rock Yacht Club as kids. I sailed across Port Philip from Rickets Point to Point Cook then returned via Brighton-Sandringham in a sailboat/dinghy, one time. Electronics kicked in early bc we used to spend weekends recording underwater sounds with homemade hydrophones. Might be how come sis got interested in submarines and nautical stuff. ⚓ Travel? Nah, not really. I've been around most of Victoria, SA & southern NSW. Hiked the Flinders Ranges from south to north, back in my teens. Wanted to get away from my legal jousts, for a while. You can't be summonsed if you're onboard a space flight to Mars, on expedition to Antarctica - or camped out someplace south of Paralana Springs. * Speaking of Warren Buffett, he's frequently declared that he only ever sells stock when he needs cash for bigger, better acquisitions. So, watch this space? 📈
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Therefore never, ever plead guilty to anything, do not concede a single centimetre, not ever. And do not be swayed by cops' and prosecutors' threatening demeanor and hints of "going easy". 