Friday, July 30, 2010

Different 'World' Views


First see what we said here:

Got an email:


1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but less than 10)
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)
3. Add 5
4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1760 ..
If you haven't, add 1759..
6... Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.
You should have a three digit number
The first digit of this was your original number
(i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).
The next two numbers are YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)
THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2010) IT WILL EVER WORK.


Why this works can easily be seen when formulated algebraically:

pick a number , x, between 1 and 9
double it.. add 5.. then multiply it by 50 ---- (2x+5) * 50
which simplified becomes
100x + 250
they tell you to add 1760 (this is done so when added with 250 it becomes the current year of 2010)
100x + 250 +1760 == simplified becomes >>
100x + 2010
if you subtract the year you were born from 2010 you by definition will get your age in numbers... (those are the last 2 digits)
and the first digit will be whatever x was which is what you picked in the beginning.

Now my realization is this: the "world" viewpoint from which you view this process is the difference between the miraculous and the self-evident, the chaotic/probabilistic vs the rational deterministic.

Follow the exercise by plugging in for 'x' (the number of times you want to eat chocolate) makes it essentially humanly impossible to then, in the course of the exercise, realize the interrelationship of the various operations and numbers and to "see" how essentially you're just subtracting the birth year from the current year and adding an extra third digit which you started with. You can only see the inescapable logic and self-evidence by viewing it from a "higher world" of algebra.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

הויה וחיים / Past Perfect vs. Past Perfect Continuous

Came to a startling realization. English grammar itself reflects the subtle distinction between simple actions of Life (חיים) and existential realities (הויה) .

Ron said he had done it already. אמר שעשה אותו כבר
Just points out the mundane fact that it occured.

Ron said he had been doing it for hours. אמר שהוא כבר היה עושה אותו לשעות
He was in an existential state of doing it.....

I equally could have pointed out from the Present Simple and Present Continuous, just happened to realize it in the Past.

Also see Nedarim 61b
 עד הקציר עד הבציר עד המסיק אינו אסור אלא עד שיגיע זה הכלל כל שזמנו קבוע ואמר עד שיגיע אסור עד שיגיע אמר עד שיהא אסור עד שיצא וכל שאין זמנו קבוע בין אמר עד שיהא בין אמר עד שיגיע אינו אסור אלא עד שיגיע.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

שותה בעציצו

Taken from Wikipedia - "Free Love"

After the October Revolution in Russia, Alexandra Kollontai became the most prominent woman in the Soviet administration. Kollontai was also a champion of free love.

In what may be an apocryphal conversation, she defended free love to Lenin, saying "Love should be free, like drinking water from a glass."

Lenin is supposed to have replied, "but who wants to drink from a soiled glass?
[עי' זוהר אמור דף צ ע"א אלא אתתא איהי כוס דברכה טעמו פגמו]