Friam

A Happy Thought (experiment)

Classic

List

Threaded

6 messages Options

plissaman

A Happy Thought (experiment)

I was amazed to learn that gedanken experiments involve so much depth. I had thought thought experiments were just simple tests that it would be VERY nice to do, but for various reasons could not be executed. Like having all gedanken foolosofers leap from high buildings (under humane and controlled conditions) and their trajectories measured to determine whether they obey the laws of gravity and Newton.

Peter Lissaman, Da Vinci Ventures

Expertise is not knowing everything, but knowing what to look for.

1454 Miracerros Loop South, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505,USA
tel:(505)983-7728

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

Nick Thompson

Re: A Happy Thought (experiment)

But peter. I actually did an experiment. So, your criticism has to shift from calling me an air head to calling my experiment dumb … and,, presumably, having reasons why it’s dumb.

From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of [hidden email]
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2011 5:16 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [FRIAM] A Happy Thought (experiment)

Peter Lissaman, Da Vinci Ventures

Expertise is not knowing everything, but knowing what to look for.

1454 Miracerros Loop South, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505,USA
<a href="tel:(505)983-7728">tel:(505)983-7728

Steve Smith

Re: A Happy Thought (experiment)

Nick, Peter -

It is good to see the curmudgeons with their curmudgeons out. Maybe we can get Doug to flail (swirl?) his too! <grin> and I think we have a few others here as well...

Meanwhile, we are having a soiree tonight that I invite you (all) to, to celebrate the rain falling on the fire just uphill from us... Sort of a raindance, our native (Lakota) friend begged off cuz he's going to a sweat tonight and Doug is out of pocket himself, oh wait... Nick is in Massachusetts (damn you have a lot of ss's and tt's in that state name!) ! Peter.. if you are game, you can find us via google maps at 3 Bundy Rd, Otowi, NM... we'll be reveling for a number of hours yet! No basin-drain experiments, however... I promise (hope?)!

Funny thing is that the rain is falling *strictly* inside the San Ildefonso and Santa Clara boundaries. Of course this is very good news as Santa Clara Canyon and just north were the most threatening parts of the fire of late. I think they might be dead out from that. No evidence of same in the south or west... and Pacheco Canyon looks like it's getting a bit of a dousing, but I can't see for the smoke (steam)?

Carry on!
- Steve

But peter. I actually did an experiment. So, your criticism has to shift from calling me an air head to calling my experiment dumb … and,, presumably, having reasons why it’s dumb.

N

From: [hidden email] [[hidden email]] On Behalf Of [hidden email]
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2011 5:16 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [FRIAM] A Happy Thought (experiment)

I was amazed to learn that gedanken experiments involve so much depth. I had thought thought experiments were just simple tests that it would be VERY nice to do, but for various reasons could not be executed. Like having all gedanken foolosofers leap from high buildings (under humane and controlled conditions) and their trajectories measured to determine whether they obey the laws of gravity and Newton.

Peter Lissaman, Da Vinci Ventures

Expertise is not knowing everything, but knowing what to look for.

1454 Miracerros Loop South, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505,USA
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="tel:%28505%29983-7728">tel:(505)983-7728
============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

Victoria Hughes

Re: A Happy Thought (experiment) (action)

In reply to this post by plissaman

Hello all-

I am following this thread with interest because of similarities between gedanken experiments and the classic creative processes: an idea, whether potential scientific theory or potential visual/multimedia theory is clarified, then attempted in the mind, possible / probable effects are visualized, the form still in the mind is examined again to assess whether it is worth further exploration, and if so it is then run physically- as an experiment, as a fabrication.

I'd assume that gedanken experiments have a lot of depth, based on my studies of the process as a version of creation. Creation is complex.

I am not so far seeing any difference in the process between what you all are discussing and what I do in my studio.

To test my gedanken experiment, and see how similar or different this process is, I invite a group of you to my studio.

I work in a very accessible material - some of you were at my presentation at SFX a couple of years ago and made things then. Owen, are you listening?

I am serious about this. Due to a major project, I can't do this until after the beginning of August: you all have lots going on and many of you don't even live here.

But those of you who are local and want to pursue how gendanken experiments work, and have moved to the part of the process where you test things in the real world, let's see what happens.

Victoria (if you're coming to my studio, you can call me Tory)

I was amazed to learn that gedanken experiments involve so much depth. I had thought thought experiments were just simple tests that it would be VERY nice to do, but for various reasons could not be executed. Like having all gedanken foolosofers leap from high buildings (under humane and controlled conditions) and their trajectories measured to determine whether they obey the laws of gravity and Newton.

Peter Lissaman, Da Vinci Ventures

Expertise is not knowing everything, but knowing what to look for.

1454 Miracerros Loop South, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505,USA
tel:(505)983-7728

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

Victoria Hughes

Re: A Happy Thought (experiment)

In reply to this post by Steve Smith

Be there within the hour. Want anything? TJ's is on the way.

Tory

On Jul 2, 2011, at 6:03 PM, Steve Smith wrote:

Nick, Peter -

It is good to see the curmudgeons with their curmudgeons out. Maybe we can get Doug to flail (swirl?) his too! <grin> and I think we have a few others here as well...

Meanwhile, we are having a soiree tonight that I invite you (all) to, to celebrate the rain falling on the fire just uphill from us... Sort of a raindance, our native (Lakota) friend begged off cuz he's going to a sweat tonight and Doug is out of pocket himself, oh wait... Nick is in Massachusetts (damn you have a lot of ss's and tt's in that state name!) ! Peter.. if you are game, you can find us via google maps at 3 Bundy Rd, Otowi, NM... we'll be reveling for a number of hours yet! No basin-drain experiments, however... I promise (hope?)!

Funny thing is that the rain is falling *strictly* inside the San Ildefonso and Santa Clara boundaries. Of course this is very good news as Santa Clara Canyon and just north were the most threatening parts of the fire of late. I think they might be dead out from that. No evidence of same in the south or west... and Pacheco Canyon looks like it's getting a bit of a dousing, but I can't see for the smoke (steam)?

Carry on!
- Steve
But peter. I actually did an experiment. So, your criticism has to shift from calling me an air head to calling my experiment dumb … and,, presumably, having reasons why it’s dumb.

N

From: [hidden email] [[hidden email]] On Behalf Of[hidden email]
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2011 5:16 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [FRIAM] A Happy Thought (experiment)

I was amazed to learn that gedanken experiments involve so much depth. I had thought thought experiments were just simple tests that it would be VERY nice to do, but for various reasons could not be executed. Like having all gedanken foolosofers leap from high buildings (under humane and controlled conditions) and their trajectories measured to determine whether they obey the laws of gravity and Newton.

Peter Lissaman, Da Vinci Ventures

Expertise is not knowing everything, but knowing what to look for.

1454 Miracerros Loop South, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505,USA
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="tel:%28505%29983-7728" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">tel:(505)983-7728
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

Pamela McCorduck

Re: A Happy Thought (experiment)

In reply to this post by Steve Smith

We're all celebrating this moisture.

On Jul 2, 2011, at 6:03 PM, Steve Smith wrote:

Nick, Peter -

It is good to see the curmudgeons with their curmudgeons out. Maybe we can get Doug to flail (swirl?) his too! <grin> and I think we have a few others here as well...

Meanwhile, we are having a soiree tonight that I invite you (all) to, to celebrate the rain falling on the fire just uphill from us... Sort of a raindance, our native (Lakota) friend begged off cuz he's going to a sweat tonight and Doug is out of pocket himself, oh wait... Nick is in Massachusetts (damn you have a lot of ss's and tt's in that state name!) ! Peter.. if you are game, you can find us via google maps at 3 Bundy Rd, Otowi, NM... we'll be reveling for a number of hours yet! No basin-drain experiments, however... I promise (hope?)!

Funny thing is that the rain is falling *strictly* inside the San Ildefonso and Santa Clara boundaries. Of course this is very good news as Santa Clara Canyon and just north were the most threatening parts of the fire of late. I think they might be dead out from that. No evidence of same in the south or west... and Pacheco Canyon looks like it's getting a bit of a dousing, but I can't see for the smoke (steam)?

Carry on!
- Steve
But peter. I actually did an experiment. So, your criticism has to shift from calling me an air head to calling my experiment dumb … and,, presumably, having reasons why it’s dumb.

N

From: [hidden email] [[hidden email]] On Behalf Of [hidden email]
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2011 5:16 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [FRIAM] A Happy Thought (experiment)

I was amazed to learn that gedanken experiments involve so much depth. I had thought thought experiments were just simple tests that it would be VERY nice to do, but for various reasons could not be executed. Like having all gedanken foolosofers leap from high buildings (under humane and controlled conditions) and their trajectories measured to determine whether they obey the laws of gravity and Newton.

Peter Lissaman, Da Vinci Ventures

Expertise is not knowing everything, but knowing what to look for.

1454 Miracerros Loop South, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505,USA
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="tel:%28505%29983-7728">tel:(505)983-7728
============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

"In humans, the brain is already the hungriest part of our body: at 2 percent of our body weight, this greedy tapeworm of an organ wolfs down 20 percent of the calories that we expend at rest."

Douglas Fox, Scientific American