"The decline effect is troubling because it reminds us how difficult it is to prove anything. We like to pretend that our experiments define the truth for us. But that’s often not the case. Just because an idea is true doesn’t mean it can be proved. And just because an idea can be proved doesn’t mean it’s true. When the experiments are done, we still have to choose what to believe."Full article here...
The Decline Effect
Jonah Lehrer on some problems that scientific studies have been having:
Blake's Jerusalem
And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England's green & pleasant Land.
— from Milton, by William Blake
HD Transit of Venus Video
NASA's spaced-based observations of the recent transit of Venus are (I think) worth 3 minutes or so of your time, just on aesthetic grounds alone:
WP: Betteridge's Law of Headlines
From the article:
Betteridge's Law of Headlines is an adage that states, "Any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word 'no'".Read the rest on Wikipedia...
Q173: Unity
"[...] freedom and charity lead to the only unity worth having."
— from an article by Steven Wedgeworth and Peter Escalante
Q171: Try Harder
"[...] so many pulpits are filled with preachers who are telling one-legged people to run faster and jump higher."
— Aaron Zimmerman
Q170: The White Horse
"[...] hasty and ad hoc decrees that addressed immediate national problems without taking the time to reflect on and consider the eternal principles of justice were fated to end in villainy and abuse. Only those laws that had been founded on the eternal principles of justice, had stood the test of time, had been passed on from generation to generation, and had received the approval of the wisest counsellors should be enacted and enforced by a just king."
— Ben Merkle
— and —
"And though skies alter and empires melt,
This word shall still be true:
If we would have the horse of old,
Scour ye the horse anew."
— G. K. Chesterton
These (and some other recent quotes) have come from Ben Merkle's life of King Alfred the Great called The White Horse King. I recommend it to you highly.
SQF Radio #7
How 'bout some music? Here's SQF Radio #7. (Spin the big list here.)
- Sufjan Stevens - Casimir Pulaski Day. A sad song if ever there was one. "Oh, the glory that the Lord has made, and the complications you could do without...":
- Blitzen Trapper - Stranger in a Strange Land. I'd stop putting Blitzen Trapper on these lists if they'd just stop writing excellent songs. They refuse to do so, however, so here you go. Some great lines in this song. If there is ever a film-student type documentary on the band, I think "All My Love Songs Fall on Wasted Ears: the Music of Blitzen Trapper" would be an awesome title. Also, can we all get together and have Bob Dylan cover this?
- Counting Crows - Mercy. Speaking of great lines, I nearly wore this song out when it was released, just to hear the line, "but there is a train bound for Gilead" line over and over. If you need some new listening material, you could do far worse than the band's recently-released album of covers.
- Spirit Family Reunion - Alright Prayer. Note to Spirit Family Reunion: you're doing it right. They are a New York-based band, and I'm not even sure they've released an album yet, but they combine bluegrass, Americana, folk, and old-time gospel influences into some feel-good music. Here's a sample:
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