Intelligence

Bruno Ogorelec · Post by **Bruno Ogorelec** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 10:35 am

While trying to resolve a problem that has troubled me recently -- and failing miserably -- I concluded that I was not terribly intelligent. An acquaintance of mine offered this:

If the Universe is infinite and we are the only intelligent species then the
average intelligence density is 1/infinity, which is 0

...so either

1. The Universe isnâ€™t infinite, or

2. We are not alone in the Universe, or

3. We are not very intelligent.

He thinks the last one is the most likely. I don't know. It's difficult to tell without a yardstick.

Post by **Mike Everman** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 4:27 pm

1. The universe is infinite.
2. Our impact on the universe is that of a busy and destructive mold on a dust speck that can disappear at any moment.
3. There are infinite specks and molds.
4. We are not intellegent, just good input randomizers.

Feeling a little pessimistic this morning...

nmasters · Post by **nmasters** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 5:27 pm

Mike Everman wrote: 4. We are not intellegent, just good input randomizers.

Ah... But the fact that we can recognize our own ineptitude indicates some small ability to select good outputs from the randomized inputs

Mike Kirney · Post by **Mike Kirney** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 9:43 pm

One divided by infinity is not zero. Zero is zero, nothing, nada, bubkas, sweet f*ck all. One over infinity is just a little bit more than nothing. If you divide a whole into an infinite number of parts, then what you will have are many little parts that are constantly diminishing in size as new parts are created, because infinity has no dimensions. It just keeps getting bigger, infinitiely bigger.

Bruno Ogorelec · Post by **Bruno Ogorelec** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 9:46 pm

Mike where have you been? Lost in tundra? We missed you. How's your masonry jet progressing?

Mike Kirney · Post by **Mike Kirney** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 10:19 pm

Nice to read you again too, Bruno. I have been working on a steam-based solid-fuel drop-in replacement for the IC engine in the common motor-car so I haven't been thinking pulsejets for a few weeks now.
I did go to Toronto for 8 days too and didn't have much chance to get online. I still don't have running water so the masonry-jet is still just an idea. I have water, just not running water, so cleaning up after making stuff out of mortar or Dukast would really suck. I did get an awesome new lathe so I can spin patterns out of wood and then cast stuff around them.

I've decided the Tundra-Jet is too big for me to develop so it will be going on E-Bay by the end of next week. Starting bid is $200 US - no reserve, reserves are for idiots. This includes the duct, fully assembled valves and valveplate, and all the nuts and bolts. It will come assembled in a box. The cutting torch I used as a fuel nozzle is NOT included. Please keep in mind that the Tundra-Jet DOES NOT PULSE YET, and the E-Bay ad will say so. It looks really cool and I'm quite sure somebody with more talent and tools than me could get it to run.

Bruno Ogorelec · Post by **Bruno Ogorelec** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 10:46 pm

Mike Kirney wrote:I have been researching other ways of developing heat, and have been spending most of my online time studying the posts at this other forum.

Swapping pulsejets for sex!? What is the world coming to? Had mankind followed your example, we'd still be riding around on horse-drawn buggies.

On the other hand, we'd all be balling our brains out... Dunno, maybe your approach has merit after all.

marksteamnz · Post by **marksteamnz** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 12:37 am

[quote="Mike Kirney"]Nice to read you again too, Bruno. I have been working on a steam-based solid-fuel drop-in replacement for the IC engine in the common motor-car so I haven't been thinking pulsejets for a few weeks now.
Snip

Great! Have you been to www.stanleysteamers.com or www.steamautomobile.com forums? Tons of information with everything from the needs work steam gocart to the most esoteric recompression mondo mathmatic sumulated ultamite steam car power plants.
Give me a shout if you need help. My tag says it all :-)

Mike Kirney · Post by **Mike Kirney** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 1:57 am

marksteamnz wrote:Have you been to www.stanleysteamers.com or www.steamautomobile.com forums?

Haven't visited any forums but I have done a ton of research online. I've covered everything from the Stanley, White, Doble, fireless locomotives, ejectors, etc., etc. My concept is thus:

Inline twin cylinder, single-acting uniflow, closed-cycle, non-condensing, two-stage Cornish/Monotube boiler, variable cut-off, 250 psi inlet pressure, perhaps with a turbo-pump for steam recirculation

Mike Kirney · Post by **Mike Kirney** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 2:02 am

brunoogorelec wrote:[Swapping pulsejets for sex!? What is the world coming to? Had mankind followed your example, we'd still be riding around on horse-drawn buggies.

On the other hand, we'd all be balling our brains out... Dunno, maybe your approach has merit after all.

LOL. I had that link up for about half an hour I think, then I got embarrassed and pulled it down. Perhaps I will put it up again after I stop blushing. I would love to own a sturdy two-horse carriage with a sumptuous interior, complete with a velvet divan and a mini-fridge.

Post by **Mike Everman** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 8:16 am

TundraMan wrote:<snip> because infinity has no dimensions. It just keeps getting bigger, infinitiely bigger.

Hey, Mike.
I've got two cents that say that the universe can't get bigger; in fact it can't change at all, over-all. It is always as tall, wide, deep and old as the universe. It's distribution is consistent. Time runs slower everywhere of any significant distance from us, but eternity exists for all corners and it is oddly the same eternity. I suppose if you said that the universe changes scale or odor, that'd be OK;-P

Mike Kirney · Post by **Mike Kirney** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 3:30 pm

Mike Everman wrote: Hey, Mike.
I've got two cents that say that the universe can't get bigger; in fact it can't change at all, over-all. It is always as tall, wide, deep and old as the universe.

Thank you for your 2 cents (2.64 cents CDN), Mike. I agree with you in part. I imagine that the universe has fixed physical dimensions, although I don't know what they are. In all probability, there is an 'extra-universe' and we are existing at present in the 'intra-universe'. We look at the night sky and see blackness and think that it is the colour of the void between the spheres, when really it is just the backing paper of some other larger and more splendid reality that we will never ever know. The real breakthrough in space travel will come not with trans-universal travel, but with INTER-universal travel. Every second of the day, you, I, and the entire universe gets a little older (sigh). I should point out that 'the universe' and 'infinity' are not one and the same. We humans know very little of the universe, but infinity is precisely defined as 'boundless' or 'greater than any assignable quantity' (Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1990). The universe does change odor I think. I haven't been able to flush my toilet since New Year's and this place smells a lot different than it did when I still had running water.

Bruno Ogorelec · Post by **Bruno Ogorelec** » Fri Feb 13, 2004 9:55 am

Mike Kirney wrote:The universe does change odor I think. I haven't been able to flush my toilet since New Year's and this place smells a lot different than it did when I still had running water.

Maybe you can help the Universe and your nasal equipment by switching to the time-honored concept of the outhouse.

Mike Kirney · Post by **Mike Kirney** » Fri Feb 13, 2004 8:04 pm

brunoogorelec wrote: Maybe you can help the Universe and your nasal equipment by switching to the time-honored concept of the outhouse.

The ground is frozen, so I can't dig a hole. I could pile up my droppings somewhere in my yard. They are not as offenive when frozen as they are thawed so as long as I disposed of them properly before the ground thawed, I would be okay I guess. What I do now is empty a 10 litre jug into the back of my toilet for a single flush every couple of days. Here is a pic showing how I get water from my well right now. The water is yellow because of dissolved sulfur and iron, but that stuff settles out after about 30 hrs. and the water gets quite clear.

cbromano · Post by **cbromano** » Sat Feb 14, 2004 7:17 am

First i belive the universe is endless because think- what can be outside nothing?

I agree that 1/infinity is still not zero but consiter this:

limit as x->infinity of 1/x = 0

If there was an intelligent planet in the universe
limit as x->infinity of 2/x = 0
Does that mean the other planet isnt intelligent either?

Even if there are 100000 intelligent planets
limit as x->infinity of 100000/x = 0
Does that mean as long as space is endless everyone is stupid?

Chris Romano