Ok. There should have been a “something else” option and that is that really maybe 1 percent of the marbles contain 99 percent of the information that is consequential. And that we have do those marbles, we just forget about them. Does that make me an optimist or a pessimist?
I promised not to tip my opinion until I write the wrap up. I like your novel answer. Maybe, just like on Earth, an uncomfortable number of us favor certain marbles as important based upon some weird criteria? The idea we conveniently ignore lots of them doesn''t seem unreasonable.
I wouldn’t even begin to try to guess! It’s still fascinating to me that nobody has even quite figured out how humans manage to walk bipedally. Knowledge feels like a fractal, infinitely discursive.
Yet another engaging response to send my mind spinning! Thanks Antonia. For those of you lurking in the comments there is NO BETTER DISCOURSE on walking than Antonia's Substack!!!!! Walking upright and shedding our hair to become an endurance animal. Hooray for us. It is cool to remember that at the just completed New York Marathon, other lowly creatures need not apply. Those two evolutionary tangents of ours made us into the undisputed masters of this world of ours. I remember from the research I did for an early post that an Ostrich would be able to beat a human in a marathon. There are a HANDFUL of other animals that could run a marathon but not very many! Kinda interesting? The linked post from the earliest of days (<20 subscribers) has some PRETTY COOL LINKS about walking in the fashion we do. My goal, in deference to my Grammarly subscription is to use fractal and discursive in a soon to be future post.
Don’t forget “uniquely smelly armpits”. That’s a phrase from an evolutionary biology talk I heard years ago that refuses to leave me. Also — ostrich legs were in fact the inspiration for the “blade” form of prosthetic leg you sometimes see on athletes. They’re much more efficient than human legs for running.
I missed this comment. I am making my way through my somewhat recent posts so there won't be any loose ends when I finish up soon. Those blade runner legs are amazing and quite a breakthrough for the servicemen who lost limbs in our recent wars.
I appreciate the question, Mark. It seems foolhardy to believe our knowledge even amounts to a single marble in that pile if we consider how much change some of us with multiple decades under our belts have witnessed in our lifetimes. Every day I hear of something new being created, and with AI only in its infancy, I can only imagine how much more there is to discover. And then there's that whole unexplored universe out there. Even with all our probes, telescopes, satellites, space gadgets, etc., how much do we really know about it?
In a scene I just watched from Albert Brooks' film "Defending Your Life," (in a terrific new documentary by Rob Reiner on HBO Max), his character is "defending his life" in Judgment City in the Afterlife and is told that humans only use 3% to 5% of their brains and are called "little brains," compared to Judgement City residents, who use 40% to 60% of theirs. The purpose of life in this context is to grow smarter, which most humans haven't. The movie, made in 1991, still seems relevant today--and might have some bearing on your topic.
Splendid!!! I was hoping for a very wide range of answers and you delivered the left-most edge. We were married in 1990 and Defending Your Life was a very early movie we ENJOYED as still newlyweds. I thought it was great. It sounds like it holds up well based on your review!
My plan is not to betray my opinion in the comments at least until people have had three days or so to take the time to read it. I figure if people don't typically open I expect my writing fails to strike a chord.
I will likely link to your comment here in my follow up. It is exactly the type of possibility I want others to see and consider.
Thanks for your comment!!
For the record I assume you MUST have voted for < 10% :)
Yes, you guessed right on the % pick. Am I on the left with this comment? I just have my doubts about humans having discovered a large percentage of what there is to know. On the other hand, I'm neither a scientist nor a tech person, so perhaps it's just a hunch based on observing my fellow humans and the world we live in and being of a somewhat pessimistic persuasion. I'm looking forward to hearing your opinion on the subject. I hope others weigh in on it. You always come up with interesting topics, Mark!
Defending Your Life was an interesting choice of film for newlyweds, since it does take place in the Afterlife. But I think it was an unusual Albert Brooks film since it had an optimistic, even romantic ending. Even though they're both dead, he does get the girl!
Thanks again. When I said left I meant left to right 0-100%. Left and right are loaded terms these days. So far people are weighing in. It'll be fun to explore the topic.
One of my favorite tidbits of knowledge that I enjoy was the statement attributed to Charles Holland Duell, which has since been debunked, "Everything that can be invented has been invented."
This is from Wikipedia:
Duell has become famous for, during his tenure as United States Commissioner of Patents, purportedly saying "Everything that can be invented has been invented."[4] However, this has been debunked as apocryphal by librarian Samuel Sass[5] who traced the quote back to a 1981 book titled "The Book of Facts and Fallacies" by Chris Morgan and David Langford.[6] In fact, Duell said in 1902:
In my opinion, all previous advances in the various lines of invention will appear totally insignificant when compared with those which the present century will witness. I almost wish that I might live my life over again to see the wonders which are at the threshold.[7]
Dennis Crouch saw a correlation between the expression and a joke from an 1899 edition of Punch magazine.
In that edition, the comedy magazine offered a look at the "coming century." In colloquy, a genius asked "isn't there a clerk who can examine patents?" A boy replied "Quite unnecessary, Sir. Everything that can be invented has been invented."[8]
Thanks for your comment John. The depth of it makes me realize your answer to the poll will be likely more thoughtful than most if not all of the others. I will UNDOUBTEDLY link this comment in my follow up story. For me, my favorite quote about innovation and markets is attributed to Thomas J Watson, the original Chairman of IBM estimated the world market for computers at 5. It is safe to say you have more than that within 10 feet of your current position.
An unfortunate legacy of the OS he stole. He later litigated it just long enough for the real originator to die and then settled with the family. RIP Gary Kildall and CPM.
Ok. There should have been a “something else” option and that is that really maybe 1 percent of the marbles contain 99 percent of the information that is consequential. And that we have do those marbles, we just forget about them. Does that make me an optimist or a pessimist?
I promised not to tip my opinion until I write the wrap up. I like your novel answer. Maybe, just like on Earth, an uncomfortable number of us favor certain marbles as important based upon some weird criteria? The idea we conveniently ignore lots of them doesn''t seem unreasonable.
We only use a small percentage of our brains and man has been here for a mere 190,000 years. There’s a lot more to figure out. 🤔
Thanks! This sounds like another vote for well below 10%!
I wouldn’t even begin to try to guess! It’s still fascinating to me that nobody has even quite figured out how humans manage to walk bipedally. Knowledge feels like a fractal, infinitely discursive.
Yet another engaging response to send my mind spinning! Thanks Antonia. For those of you lurking in the comments there is NO BETTER DISCOURSE on walking than Antonia's Substack!!!!! Walking upright and shedding our hair to become an endurance animal. Hooray for us. It is cool to remember that at the just completed New York Marathon, other lowly creatures need not apply. Those two evolutionary tangents of ours made us into the undisputed masters of this world of ours. I remember from the research I did for an early post that an Ostrich would be able to beat a human in a marathon. There are a HANDFUL of other animals that could run a marathon but not very many! Kinda interesting? The linked post from the earliest of days (<20 subscribers) has some PRETTY COOL LINKS about walking in the fashion we do. My goal, in deference to my Grammarly subscription is to use fractal and discursive in a soon to be future post.
https://markdolan.substack.com/p/theres-something-afoot
For the record, I assume you MUST have voted for < 10% :)
Thank you, Mark! That’s high praise :)
Don’t forget “uniquely smelly armpits”. That’s a phrase from an evolutionary biology talk I heard years ago that refuses to leave me. Also — ostrich legs were in fact the inspiration for the “blade” form of prosthetic leg you sometimes see on athletes. They’re much more efficient than human legs for running.
I missed this comment. I am making my way through my somewhat recent posts so there won't be any loose ends when I finish up soon. Those blade runner legs are amazing and quite a breakthrough for the servicemen who lost limbs in our recent wars.
I appreciate the question, Mark. It seems foolhardy to believe our knowledge even amounts to a single marble in that pile if we consider how much change some of us with multiple decades under our belts have witnessed in our lifetimes. Every day I hear of something new being created, and with AI only in its infancy, I can only imagine how much more there is to discover. And then there's that whole unexplored universe out there. Even with all our probes, telescopes, satellites, space gadgets, etc., how much do we really know about it?
In a scene I just watched from Albert Brooks' film "Defending Your Life," (in a terrific new documentary by Rob Reiner on HBO Max), his character is "defending his life" in Judgment City in the Afterlife and is told that humans only use 3% to 5% of their brains and are called "little brains," compared to Judgement City residents, who use 40% to 60% of theirs. The purpose of life in this context is to grow smarter, which most humans haven't. The movie, made in 1991, still seems relevant today--and might have some bearing on your topic.
Splendid!!! I was hoping for a very wide range of answers and you delivered the left-most edge. We were married in 1990 and Defending Your Life was a very early movie we ENJOYED as still newlyweds. I thought it was great. It sounds like it holds up well based on your review!
My plan is not to betray my opinion in the comments at least until people have had three days or so to take the time to read it. I figure if people don't typically open I expect my writing fails to strike a chord.
I will likely link to your comment here in my follow up. It is exactly the type of possibility I want others to see and consider.
Thanks for your comment!!
For the record I assume you MUST have voted for < 10% :)
Yes, you guessed right on the % pick. Am I on the left with this comment? I just have my doubts about humans having discovered a large percentage of what there is to know. On the other hand, I'm neither a scientist nor a tech person, so perhaps it's just a hunch based on observing my fellow humans and the world we live in and being of a somewhat pessimistic persuasion. I'm looking forward to hearing your opinion on the subject. I hope others weigh in on it. You always come up with interesting topics, Mark!
Defending Your Life was an interesting choice of film for newlyweds, since it does take place in the Afterlife. But I think it was an unusual Albert Brooks film since it had an optimistic, even romantic ending. Even though they're both dead, he does get the girl!
Thanks again. When I said left I meant left to right 0-100%. Left and right are loaded terms these days. So far people are weighing in. It'll be fun to explore the topic.
One of my favorite tidbits of knowledge that I enjoy was the statement attributed to Charles Holland Duell, which has since been debunked, "Everything that can be invented has been invented."
This is from Wikipedia:
Duell has become famous for, during his tenure as United States Commissioner of Patents, purportedly saying "Everything that can be invented has been invented."[4] However, this has been debunked as apocryphal by librarian Samuel Sass[5] who traced the quote back to a 1981 book titled "The Book of Facts and Fallacies" by Chris Morgan and David Langford.[6] In fact, Duell said in 1902:
In my opinion, all previous advances in the various lines of invention will appear totally insignificant when compared with those which the present century will witness. I almost wish that I might live my life over again to see the wonders which are at the threshold.[7]
Dennis Crouch saw a correlation between the expression and a joke from an 1899 edition of Punch magazine.
In that edition, the comedy magazine offered a look at the "coming century." In colloquy, a genius asked "isn't there a clerk who can examine patents?" A boy replied "Quite unnecessary, Sir. Everything that can be invented has been invented."[8]
Thanks for your comment John. The depth of it makes me realize your answer to the poll will be likely more thoughtful than most if not all of the others. I will UNDOUBTEDLY link this comment in my follow up story. For me, my favorite quote about innovation and markets is attributed to Thomas J Watson, the original Chairman of IBM estimated the world market for computers at 5. It is safe to say you have more than that within 10 feet of your current position.
And Bill Gates once said 640K of memory was more than anyone needed.
An unfortunate legacy of the OS he stole. He later litigated it just long enough for the real originator to die and then settled with the family. RIP Gary Kildall and CPM.