Skip to main content

Thoughts XXXI - my motto, chocolate pie, fascists



Motto.
Numen Lumen is the motto of my alma mater, the University of Wisconsin.  But what does it mean?  One, rather vague, translation is “The divine within the universe, however manifested, is my light.” However, it is essentially meaningless, untranslatable.  Created by the first chancellor, John Lathro
p, it is still important but little used.  It seems Lathrop was the quintessential politician, creating a motto with an interpretation suitably vague to be suitable for all.  Well, that was then.  Now, mottos must be brutally blunt and simplistic, suitable for grade 4 readers, i.e. modern college students. 

----------
Question.
What do you call a group when they don’t respond to the charge of being racist?  Fascists.
What do you call a group that participates in frequent anarchist-style demonstrations? Fascists.
This is what the Dems and Reps are calling each other these days.  This seems to be the lowest attribute available.  It goes a bit further when applied to a particular person, the comparison to Hitler being frequently used.

--------------- 
Chocolate Pie.  You know it; I know it.  Really sweet, too sweet.  It’s hard to eat a whole slice.  This is what I call certain folks, though sweet is not quite the word. Better…  Just too much for one sitting, event, or encounter.  Do you know any chocolate pie people?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Behavioral Science and Problem-Solving

I.                                       I.                 Introduction.                Concerning our general behavior, it’s high about time we all had some understanding of how we operate on ourselves, and it is just as important how we are operated on by others. This is the wheelhouse of behavioral sciences. It is a vast subject. It touches our lives constantly. It’s influence is pervasive and can be so subtle we never notice it. Behavioral sciences profoundly affect our ability and success at problem-solving, from the elementary level to highly complex wicked problems. This is discussed in Section IV. We begin with the basics of behavioral sciences, Section II, and then through the lens of multiple categories and examples, Section III. II.     ...

Where is AI (Artificial Intelligence) Going?

  How to view Artificial Intelligence (AI).  Imagine you go to the store to buy a TV, but all they have are 1950s models, black and white, circular screens, picture rolls, and picture imperfect, no remote. You’d say no thanks. Back in the day, they sold wildly. The TV was a must-have for everyone with $250 to spend* (about $3000 today). Compared to where AI is today, this is more or less where TVs were 70 years ago. In only a few decades AI will be advanced beyond comprehension, just like TVs today are from the 50s viewpoint. Just like we could not imagine where the video concept was going back then, we cannot really imagine where AI is going. Buckle up. But it will be spectacular.    *Back then minimum wage was $0.75/hr. Thus, a TV cost more than eight weeks' wages. ------------------------- 

Small Schools

In a NYC study it appears that smaller schools have a higher graduation rates that the large megaschools.  Research has found that 70% of students from small schools graduated on time, while just 61% of the students who were turned away managed to earn diplomas in four years. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/city-small-schools-better-on-time-graduation-rates-report-article-1.1436692#ixzz2dAnomes6 However, large schools are far more efficient in terms of facilities, because they are less costly (per student) to operate and maintain.  So, what can be done in light of this striking new discovery?  The simple answer is to turn the large mega-schools into smaller institutions.  This can be achieved by simply creating many schools within the large one.  A norm for centuries within universities with their colleges of disciplines, but for varying majors, it does create local communities within a large setting.  Here is the proposal....