Problems with Relative Economic Advantage

Problems with Relative Economic Advantage.

Andre Willers
23 March 2007

Synopsis :
The pursuit of Relative Economic Advantage leads to organized War .

Discussion :

A . First , What is Relative Advantage ?
An example will best illustrate the principle .

1. Countries England and Germany both need 100 spanners and 100 nuts per year .
2. England can make spanners at $10 a unit and nuts at $100 a unit .
3. Germany can make spanners at $100 a unit and nuts at $10 a unit .
4 .Costs of 100 units per country if each makes its own spanners and nuts :
England : $10 x 100 + $100 x 100 = $ 11 000
Germany : $100 x 100 + $10 x 100 = $ 11 000

5. Now let the countries trade .
This means that England makes 200 spanners only and that Germany makes 200 nuts only . They then trade : a 100 English spanners for a 100 German nuts .

6. Costs per country with trade :
England : $10 x 200 = $ 2 000
Germany : $10 x 100 = $ 2 000

7. Both countries end up with 100 spanners and a 100 nuts each , but the cost is drastically reduced because of the Relative Advantage
The both get rich by trading , even though England spends as much as Germany . Each need only spend $2 000 instead of $11 000 for the same things .

B . The Problems .
The devil lies in the details when applying this principle .

EG
Germany learns to make a spanner for $1 . Now it does not need to trade . England can demand that it puts up a tariff of $9 a spanner , otherwise all it’s spanner makers are unemployed .
Germany refuses , so they go to war .
Or it agrees to put up a tariff of $5 , and England outsources its spanners to Germany , calling it a victory for globalization . The capital owners shift capital to Germany and make a much higher return than they would have at home .
Or England refuses to accept the destruction of its spanner industry and applies force .

The tariff adjustments by force are called wars of Empire .
Empires can be seen as mini-globalizations .

The outflow of capital from center to the high-return peripheries continues until some blip occurs . The owners of the capital ( who are the state or major movers in the state) then uses the state’s armed forces to iron out the blip . Sometimes this works , but sufficient reverses crashes the state .

These are typical wars of Empire . Bronze age , Babylon , Persia , Rome , Maya, Spain , Portugal , England , USA

In the process , the Empire’s workers are first impoverished , then driven below the breadline as capital flows to the peripheries . This translates that they cannot find a job , or if they can , it is a MacJob . A corrollary is an aristocracy of some kind . (The owners or controllers of the capital :apparatchiks ) .

A general illusion is that they never had it so good .

A more reliable indicator is physical health of conscripts . About a third of British Empire conscripts in WWI were simply incapable of physical combat due to malnutrition . The USA is in a worse situation today . Remember , combat capable these days means some measure of good nutrition in childhood and education . A far cry from the obese cripples a call-up in the US would get . The all-volunteer army would work about as well as Kitchener’s in WWI : in wars where you have to hold ground , numbers count . Hence the little problem the US has in Iraq , Afghanistan , Korea , Sudan , Germany , Japan ,etc .

In other countries it is even worse . RSA can scarcely field 10 000 troops . The rest of Africa is worse . Why do you think they use child soldiers ? This is the only capable pool still available.

But not only are the state’s proletariat in poor shape , they are politically unreliable as well . (The USSR collapsed so quickly because the conscript army refused orders to fire on the crowds : a political failure ) . Even professional armies (cf Roman Civil Wars) cannot be trusted .

If push came to shove , I doubt whether US National Guard would fire on their own citizens . Most of the mid-western states are already in a mild revolt . And they are all het up about blue helmets and black helicopters (ie mercs) .

Hence the Mercenary (Contractor) . At this stage of the political process , the relevant area is usually awash with highly skilled military contractors , who shift roles between soldier , mercenary and bandit . Condottieri , in other words .

They are the remnants of broken states and broken dreams . The rulers employ them instead of their own soldiers because they are more reliable if they are paid . ( by this time only the aristocracy has any money left .) Tells you a lot .

The difference between the Bronze Age collapse ( c 1400 BC) and the Roman Empire collapse (c 500 AD) is religion : These Dogs of War are pack animals and only want to belong . Their leaders have failed and betrayed them . Christianity and Islam gave them a structure to belong to , under reasonable control . The 99% depopulation of the Bronze Age collapse was ameliorated .

You can see the problem that is shaping up now .

And so it goes .

Marxism .
An interesting attempt to escape this trap . By abolishing private ownership of capital and , furthermore , controlling the movement of capital by central planning , the USSR hoped to escape the impoverishment of the center/proletariat .

In one of those ironies of history , the Gulags did them in .

The smartest and most creative elements of USSR society ended up in the Gulags , especially the techs . Here I include the closed cities , which were Gulags in all but name (ie isolated and segregated from the general population : the proletariat) . These Gulags acted like peripheries , where much greater bang for a buck could be obtained.

Hence , the capital of the USSR flowed to them , for exactly the same reasons as US capital is in a microchip plant in Korea or China . This impoverished the proletariat until they fell below the breadline and rebelled . It is immaterial whether the Gulags were defense related or not . As long as the benefits of the wealth created in them did not flow back to the proletariat , a revolution or mass genocide was inevitable .

The only out was the historical avenue of wars of acquisition , but the rickety shebang collapsed because they waited too long . The USSR would still be around if they had attacked Europe during the Carter administration .

The Gulag survivors naturally took over the new administration . (Mafiya and all)

Another irony is that the US fell into the same trap .
The Gulag equivalent is the military-industrial establishment . The remainder of private capital bribed a corrupt political establishment and promptly fled to shores with a higher return and fewer restrictions . Never mind that they belonged to their present and future enemies .

So both major powers are under the control of military-industrial systems (note , not their political systems) .

Sigh .

Does this remind you of something?

The later stages of the Roman Empire , that’s what . An Army with a state .

The military historically make notoriously bad rulers of states .
The military-industrial are worse , since they also incorporate short-term values with military inflexibility , paranoia and over-control .

The army can tell you to do it , the merchants can pay you to do it , but only the politicians ( and priests ) can make you want to do it .

The system is unstable , especially when their children start to starve .

China .

Mao tried to mimic Stalin’s success with the Gulags with the Great Leap Forward . It failed due to lack of capital and knowledge . But if you don’t succeed , try and try again .

The present system is another version of the Great Leap Forward .
Capital concentration was generated by restricting the birthrate . This capital was used for education and industrial processes . Note that this was a political process .

The only comparable processes I know of was the Black Death (1348) and the depopulation in the 1650’s that formed the basis of the pulse of wealth in the Age of Reason (1700 – 1800)

An unforeseen bonus was the capital influx from the West into the Eastern seaboard . But the system was already designed to channel domestic capital concentrations to the high-growth areas .

The acceptance of Western capital is a poisoned chalice .

The forced relaxation of emigration controls means that Chinese couples wanting more than one child , emigrate to places like SA . This is really happening . Even small towns in the platteland have one Chinese shop , then selected elements of the same family and other families in the village move in . They bring some of their families’ capital. This capital has a higher return than at home . This results in the the usual positive-feedback system . Multiply by millions .

This sort of diaspora has happened ad nauseam in history . None of the descendants retained any deep loyalty to the Old Country .

So , the capital outflow from China is small per capita , but there are a lot of capita’s . This is also free capital , not entailed to some short-term obligations . A collapse means that the proletariat at home will have really tough time , with commensurate civil unrest and emigration .

Factoring in environmental degradation , my estimate is that China as a state is extremely unstable , but that the Chinese will survive if any humans survive .

Is there any way out of this trap ?
Yes , but is it a trap ?
The roiling is uncomfortable for some , but everybody dies sometime .

Must unborn civilizations be sacrificed so the present ones can loll at ease ?

I see no reason to interfere in this process.



Wars.
From the above , you can see that globalization always precedes a period of major warfare and social unrest .

Some examples are the collapse of the Bronze Age civilization (a classic) , The Mayan Collapse (see Mel Gibsons’s “Apocalypto” for what it is like when everybody kills everybody else until only about 0.05% of traumatized survivors remain . )

See any Empire .

This is so common that humans have evolved institutions to speed up recovery from collapses : they are called organized religions , museums , etc .

See Pournelle and Niven’s Moties .

The principle is that altruism is necessary to kick-start the new civilization . Buddhism , Confucius , Christianity , Islam , etc , etc .

Our universe can be seen as a simulation in some super-advanced computer or the mind of God . At this level it is indistinguishable .

But we can say one thing about it : it is not supposed to be boring . (Else why bother?)
Whether God can be surprised is arguable , but any simulation , no matter how advanced , can give surprises .

Why this is so , see http://andreswhy.blogspot.com/ , search for “Bounded Universum”

If the simulation no longer gives the required degree of variety , it will be switched off or seriously scrambled .

I don’t want to say this ,but I have no particular choice . I am just a simulation .
As you might have noticed , the Author/Programmer is not satisfied . He wants more variety . You have 35 seconds .

Don’t you just love a God with a sense of humour ?

Andre

Cellulite How to ge

Cellulite : How to get rid of it.
Andre Willers
16 March 2007

This is a Mind-Body Regimen .
This is not a quick fix .

The origin of cellulite lies mainly in hydrogenated fats and trans fats . The body does not know what to do with the molecules , so it stores them in similar places to ordinary fats . The problem is that it takes a higher threshold of energy (ie ATP concentration ) to unlock these molecules from storage .

Females are hit by a double whammy : they have a natural subcutaneous  fat storage which is bigger than that of the male . This gets unlocked first , since it’s unlocking  threshold is lower .

Also , females do not have testosterone driven energy peaks that will unlock cellulite .

Another problem is acrylamide ( see http://andreswhy.blogspot.com )
Neuropathy is the extreme case , but neural damage occurs cumulatively over age . This is a problem with both sexes . The neural damage prevents the body image from being exercised at the cellular level . (Ie neural messages to release fat molecules do not get executed because they do not get through .
Neurons through fat are longer and lower on the priority list for repair . They are thus more vulnerable to acrylamide.)

The procedure:
( see http://andreswhy.blogspot.com “Human Hair” and other articles .)
Use a dedicated or sterilized hair brush .

1. Gently pummel the cellulite area with the back of the brush to stimulate blood and lymph flow .

2. Generate a pulse of energy (high ATP concentration) by drinking a cup of coffee with glucose between meals . The idea is to get a high pulse of energy and nerve stimulation . The pulse of energy is to get over the high threshold of cellulite release . The caffeine is to stimulate the nervous system to activate the body-image in the affected areas .

3. Indent the skin gently with the bristles and pull gently to one side until you can feel it . Repeat over the desired area .
Repeat the brush action 3 times in 15 minutes . The reason is the activation period of long-term memory in neurons . Remember , you are trying to change the body image . Leave a gap of at least 2 hours between repeats .

4. Monitoring: It will take at least 2 weeks for any difference to show . This pace will   not be noticeable if you watch it continuously . Take photos every week and compare after about a month .
5. Avoid adding to the cellulite by eschewing foods high in hydrogenated fats (read the labels) , or acrylamides (eg chips ,cookies,any browned foods )
( see http://andreswhy.blogspot.com )

6. Take ATP enhancers : curcumin (a nice curry once a week) and a good multivitamin and multimineral . Alpha Lipoic Acid is a good repairer of nerves damaged by acrylamide .

7 . Avoid mirrors for two months .

8. If this does not work , avoid mirrors , period .

9. Possible side-effects : Loose stools as the fats are excreted . The body might unlock the cellulite fats , but probably will not use them . The liver and kidneys will also be under extra stress , so drink enough water . Liver adjuvents might be a good idea . Exercise in moderation should not matter .

Andre

Spices

Spices .

Andre Willers
10 March 2007

Synopsis :

All spices are potent killers evolved by plants to control viruses , fungi , bacteria , insects , animals in descending order of importance .

Multi-symbionts ( like large mammals , including humans ) , use small concentrations of spices to keep various populations of symbiotic bacteria and fungi under control .

Highly active bio-reactors like the tropics or high-density cities may only be survivable to humans because the use of spices .

The increase of human population in Europe after an increased spice trade with the East circa 18’nth  century argues for it . Ref the high incidence of curry and Indonesian dishes in the most highly populated areas of Europe (England and Netherlands) .

With global warming , the spicing of previously temperate regions will continue .
Indeed , those persisting in a non-spice diet will suffer the dreaded Delhi-belly .

The Tao of Curry .
Eat at least one curry a week .
Keep changing and don’t overdo it .


Discussion:

Curcumin ( the active ingredient of turmeric)

There has been a lot of activity in reputable publications and research organizations about this chemical .

See a good summation in the Feb 2007 issue of Scientific American . Google it (there is lot on PubMed)

Apart from its 5000 year history , present studies have shown benefits for :

Anti-cancer ( in low concentrations)
Alzheimers
Cognitive impairment
Melanomas .
Colitis
Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Energy systems (diabetes II)
The plant uses its property of inhibiting protein p53 ( which prevents replication of cancer cells) to kill small mass organisms . If you take too much curcumin , the same will happen to you . About 8 gm per meal (1.5 teaspoonful turmeric ) per meal within 24 hrs seems safe . ( Curcumin is not easily absorbed) .This should be equivalent of about two 500 mg gel capsules of Curcumin by Solal  .

Some effects (like the Alzheimer and cognitive improvement) can be traced back to the release of immune system assets to the body because turmeric is killing cells requiring their attention  in the gut . In elderly people this extra resource in the immune system is enough for amelioration .

Betterment of Colitis and Rheumatoid Arthritis can be seen as the effect of fluctuations in the gut populations and the concomitant immune-system targeting mechanisms .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com “Vaccine”

Energy systems (diabetes II)


Adjuvent effects :
VitC is the main concern . Large doses of VitC (7 to 10 gm range) will kill off so many gut bacteria , that the survivors will be exposed to higher concentrations of curcumin . The leftover spillage might be enough to raise the plasma blood level concentrations to levels that trigger the p53 protein degradation/block . Does it , though? The evidence does not support it . The spillage (diarrhea ) gets washed out . Alcohol and antibiotics will play the same role . The experimental data is on test-tube bacteria , not body cells exposed to the immune system .

Some pathologies (like too high concentrations of p53) prevent replication of necessary systems , especially the immune system . Hence the effect on Alzheimers .

There is no correct concentration for chemicals like these . The best hope is keeping the concentration within an attractor basin .


Side Effects

Ho-ho ! Note Vindaloo guts , long thought to be from the oil . It is actually dead gut bacteria being washed out .

Is it safe to eat curry and drink at the same time ? Stupid question .

Is it safe to eat curry and take antibiotics at the same time ? A mild curry is safest , unless you want to reach some specific group of cells and know what you’re doing .

Statistics on Alzheimers and colon cancers :
The change between actual and expected incidences during the period in which the UK changed over to a curry-loving nation , should be illuminating .

Alzheimers is interesting . Curcumin apparently helps the immune system to attack the amyloid plaques (“Journal of Alzheimers Disease “, Oct 9 2006)

Cognitive Impairment (“American Journal of Epidiomology” , Nov 1 2006)
Curry eaters oldsters were smarter .
One wonders whether Churchill ate curry (Did he? Must have.) Hitler definitely did not .

Powerful spices:

Still in use :
Peppermint , ginger , garlic , pepper , chili , cinnamon , chocolate , coffee , tea , curries ,etc .

Older ones like
Nutmeg etc . These actually might have had powerful medicinal properties on a virginal viral or bacterial population , but general use would have soon bred resistance (like with antibiotics nowadays) . (Penicillin ? How quaint .)

Viral antibiotics would soon burn out , but the resistance genes would have shifted to the backburner by now . So , in limited usage , they might be of some benefit once again .

Why did garlic not burn out ? Because it only worked well in fresh-pressed form . Most recipes call for worked garlic (oxidized to uselessness.) Buchu has a similar problem .Marketing opportunities .


Energy systems (diabetes II)

Mitochondria are the main energy users in cells . If too much energy (glucose) floods in , the mitochondria  can handle it by making more mitochondria or inhibiting the glucose influx through the cell-wall . (The last is DiabetesII)

People with a high metabolic rate must create more mitochondria . But mitochondria are sensitive to p53 (or something like it , since they are descended from bacteria .)

Too much p53 inhibits the formation of new mitochondria , leading to a feedback to the cellwall to prevent a further influx of glucose disrupting the cell .

But mitochondria cannot go cancerous , as they do not have the machinery . The worst that can happen is hyperactivity , as new mitochondria are formed and the ATP has to go somewhere .
Call this Ultra-DiabetesII H (for hyperactivivty . )
This would result from developmental distortion if present throughout childhood .
Unfortunately , the cellular cure would probably cause diabetesII .




Ultra-DiabetesII A :
The mitochondria divide at far too small a pace to keep up with attrition and demand . The feedback is vicious . Also known as Anorexia . A selective p53 inhibiter should help .

What is a poor fatso elderly DiabetesII to do ?
A selective inhibitor of p53 within certain boundaries targeted at human cells should do the trick .
We know that Curcumin is a relatively safe p53 inhibitor , and we have some idea of the concentrations .
We need the raw materials for mitochondria : eg sulfur , selenium , and other rare micro-minerals .
We need energy  (glucose and fats) over a certain threshold .
We need some phosphor .(For the ATP)

Note Riboswitches (cf Scientific American  Jan 2007 p42) . Bacteria have ribosome switches that control the expression of their own genes dependant on the environment (Aptamers) . These are the progenitors of the more sophisticated epigenetic systems . But for mitochondria they are still operative .

We hope that p53 is the riboswitch to inhibit the inhibition of mitochondria division .
We provide the raw materials for mitochondria divisions .

Mitochondria live for about two days , and should learn the lesson in about 2/e~6 days .
Three repeats should settle the feedback system into a new stability point .

The Procedure:
The course lasts 3 treatments (6 days)

In sequential order :
8 gm VitC (buffered)
About two hours later , take
8 gms curcumin ( 4X500 mg Solal Cucrcumin capsules)
Then the adjuvents : multimineral and multivitamins . MSM . Cinnamon capsules .
Glucose : keep it high . drink coke or eat bread .

Repeat every 2 days for 2 repeats .

Symptoms of the treatment:

The mitochondria divide . At first you might feel cold , as millions of mitochondria spend their energy in dividing . Then you will feel hot as sensors in the skin recalibrate . Then you will feel cold again as spillover of p53 inhibitors and other homeostatic systems cause more sweat glands to form . Initially you will sweat more , as too much heat is pumped through too few sweat tubes .
In six days it will be over , hopefully at a higher metabolic rate .
You will feel more active (indeed , you are forced to burn the new ATP , as you cannot any longer store most of it as fat .)

You should use body image sculpting during the 6 day process .
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com “Human Hair”

DiabetesII take note .
If the procedure is successful , you cannot tell by just doing one glucose test . A full GTT has to be done , and repeated at least two times at weekly intervals .

Changing from lethargic to hyperactive will take some adaptation , but our society and bodies are structured to handle this .

A lethargic body-politic is too close to learned-helplessness .

We can survive any number of competing systems , but we cannot survive one active lot and the rest supine .

Is this spicy enough for you?

Andre

A General Vaccine Ad

A General Vaccine Adjuvent.

Andre Willers
8 Mar 2007

Synopsis:

A method of increasing any Vaccine effectiveness by a factor of at least 300% .

Method:

The evening before administering the vaccine , give the patient at least 7-8 gm of buffered VitaminC  . In the morning , give at least 3 gm of MSM , a good general multivitamin and a good general multimineral . Just before the vaccine , give glucose .

The Rationale :

At least 80% of the immune system is clustered around the gut . It is clustered because various control systems keep it there to counter the challenge from various bacteria , viruses and poisens arising from external and internal organisms in the gut .

See  http://andreswhy.blogspot.com    “HIV and the Guts”

VitC at this concentration acts as an antibiotic , killing the gut bacteria (hence the diarrhea) . This also lessens the assault on the immune system , releasing the Immune System Assets for use elsewhere in the body .
(This is an old immune response evolved during the monkey , ape eras . Plants evolved VitC as a preservative for their seeds .)

A look at the numbers reveals the effectiveness of this approach:

Immune system:
Before VitC  : 80 % gut , 20 % for the rest
After VitC :    40 % gut , 60 % for the rest

In other words , even a 50% decrease in the assault from the gut means a 300% increase in the availability of Immune system to the rest of the body .

A new threat presentation from the vaccine will require new protein and scaffolding  synthesis . So material and energy will be required . This will happen faster if an extra pulse of material and energy is supplied . Hence the food and energy supply . Do not leave out the Sulfur supply , as this is essential for the antibody structures .

Immune System Scanning

As you must have noticed from the above , this is very similar to the Linus Pauling proposals . It works well if the immune system can recognize the target .
Even viral diseases like flu can succumb if the immune system suddenly pulses 300%+
But there is a gray area : the immune system identifies and marks some threats as below some threshold , but because it does not have the resources to handle it  , it is ignored  for the moment . Once resources are available , it is handled .

In essence , a fluctuating immune system is necessary to identify threats which are low in short term but big in long term .

Hence the human propensity of ingesting poisens of various degrees . ( eg alcohol , vitC fruits ,  hot or cold liquids , caffeine , coacoa , chocolate , curries , spices etc .)

These all vary the bacterial load in the gut , and hence the availability of immune system resources to the rest of the system .

This is Immune System Scanning .

The rate of scanning .
This is really interesting .
Humans are obligate hunters because of deficiencies in synthesizing some vitamins and amino acids .

The obligate period is about one week , hence the break . (The Sunday Meal : the only time they get certain proteins . The Tradition has lasted thousands of years , since it is based on a physiological necessity . )

If they don’t get their amino acid fix, not only do they become sickly , but the epigenetic effect lasts at least two generations . (Cf extremely poor physical physical condition of conscripts in WWI in England)

Hence the reputation of chicken soup . Eat rotten veggies all week , and your immune system will also class middling threats as by-passes , but a meal of chicken soup , rich in amino acids , will suddenly broaden the scope and effectiveness of the immune system .

An interesting fact is that chicken is the only meat not banned by some religion  or other . This is well documented in Phaoronic reliefs  . The masters of the universe scrambled after some scrawny birds in the marshes . Ditto everywhere else . One wonders if it was not a dietary requirement fixated after the time of the dinosaurs , when birds were kings .

This makes one wonder : which came first ? The chicken or the grain .

Theories of the origin of agriculture vary from beer to bread , but what about chickens?

If chickens were the first , then their domestication will necessitate feeding . Anybody who has ever fed chickens , will know that they are suckers for seeds . Selecting and sowing bigger seeds follows . This is typically what women will do . It also fits the proximal reward model : it takes small steps from the start to proceed . Not much capital either . (A bored woman , a pet bird and a hand of grass seeds) .


You can trace the other animal and plant domestications yourself .

Birdflu refers:

“Those who live by the egg will die by the egg .”

Andre

Metamaterials in hum

Metamaterials in human beings.

Andre Willers
4 Mar 2007
See  http://andreswhy.blogspot.com    “Primitives_0”  ,  as well as “Itarin”

Background :

Metamaterials are groups of atoms or molecules that act like single atoms or molecules with properties which are novel . (Google , wikipedia , Scientific American , etc)

The best known are the microwave metamaterials which have a negative refractive index (the first ones theorized and constructed) .

This enables definition at a measure smaller than the wavelength of the infalling radiation . This was long considered theoretically impossible . Now they are demonstrating invisibility suits (at least at the microwave level ) , and other goodies based on this principle .

In other words , its hot and sexy !

But needless to say , mother Nature got there first .

The economy of fine definition at minimum cost is an extremely strong attractor to evolutionary systems .

All metamaterials are virtual by definition .
ie Ten atoms of carbon in a specific configuration act like one atom of imaginium .
The information being processed is real , the rest is virtual . Of course , if the imaginium’s components are real , then speeds are much higher , and quantum effects are possible .

But the essence is:
Ordered groups of information processors can give results literally impossible to their components . This is not theory , but hardware .

Visual systems are the easiest for us to understand .

The visual system forms layers of metamaterials . Even if the distance between retina cells are (say ) 10 000 angstroms , the metamaterial processing can make the definition  as if only (say) 10 angstroms separate the cells .

The same trick is used throughout the body .

Skin sensitivity is another example . The brain does not extrapolate . It uses an gestalt of nearby impressions to form a remarkably accurate virtual impression .

Acidity in the stomach , sugar levels , hormone levels , immune system etc . The body gets by with remarkably few sensors .

It has a price , though .

The price is training .

A virtual metamaterial (like the human visual system , immune system) can only be partially hardwired . There is not enough information capacity in the bio-system to handle all permutations . The efficiency of the metamaterial might be improved ( eg language centers , counting centers , mirror neurons , etc) .

Integration and generation of proximal reward systems remain a major problem .
see http://andreswhy.blogspot.com  “ The Religious Experience and Proximal rewards” .

Advantageous development of trained metamaterial centers might be incorporated into the DNA quicker than normal evolutionary pressures ( a form of epigenesis) , but I know of no such evidence . Culture will inhibit such developments . Except of course , for non-cultural or anti-cultural pressures .  The selection for mild Aspergers  indicate that there is a tendency for at least a bifurcate split in the species .

Training metamaterials:
The plasticity of the brain/body means that you can train groups of cells to act as metamaterial atoms/molecules , with properties that the individual elements do not have .

We have already seen that this is used extensively by the body .

Now , we must see how we can extend on it .

Itarin
Itarin is a visual trainer that creates metamaterial effects .
Itarin is an adequate neural network visual trainer , because it works better at older ages as it trains metamaterial “atoms” in the visual field by  the fluctuating balls . I originally put them in to draw attention to the flash of the character in their center , but their effect has been to create metamaterial neurons .

I was puzzled why Itarin worked better for me when training while wearing glasses . The answer , of course , is that the metamaterial effect overshadows the ordinary neural training effect .

Sports and Varsity .
Practise creates metamaterial effects by definition , whether the practise is real or virtual . A variant of Itarin will have you playing like a pro and praying like a Christian .

Health.
Most of the body’s sensory systems work via metamaterial effects . We have known intervention systems like Itarin . Training metamaterial effects for various body systems have ranged from too broad (Coue) to too narrow (begone , damned bug!)

Intelligence.
This capability is normally defined as the ability to “see” patterns (ie delineated differences , for which a fine definition is required) . Note that metamaterial effects gives the brain a finer definition with the same number of neurons .

While Itarin was not designed for this , it could be adapted . It should have some effect , in any case , due to the metamaterial effects in the cortical and immediate sub-cortical areas .

Unused capability.

Most humans have the conceit that they only us about 10 % of their brain capacity . Extra , unused capacity in the brain (which consumes about 25 % of the body’s energy) , simply did not happen . (Evolutionary reasons)

What did happen , if you understood the above argument , is that inefficient utilization of the brain’s resources ( even using hardwired metamaterial effects ) uses up nearly all of it’s capability .

It is like driving a Ferrari in first gear at full throttle . With a broken steering wheel .
Everything is going at full blast . There is nothing unused.

From an evolutionary viewpoint , it is easy to see why . Some few hardwired systems like elementary vision , speech , counting ,etc at a most elementary level evolve . (The primitive elements) . The rest is catch-as-catch can . Now and then , the cultural component evolves a more efficient utilization . This frees up some neurons for keeping up with the Jones’. And so it goes .

The glitterati wonders what Jones wore , the literati wonders what he said or wrote , and the priesthood wonders why they care .

The amusing thing is that while there is no unused capacity in the present westerner’s brain , a slight rearrangement of the organization of the brain brought about by  cultural elements can cascade into a significantly more efficient use of their neurons . It is like an oversaturated solution . It crystalises very , very quickly , releasing a lot of energy .

The cascade:
This is usually known as a religious experience . It has happened before in history .

When the system is overstretched (like now) , a sudden release of resources in the brain due to a more efficient utilization (ie metamaterial effects) does not release the stress . Instead , it goes “boing” into the neighbouring brain areas , stimulating similar similar eruptions throughout the system .

Cultural laser , anyone ?

It is a major source of disappointment to the Author that the last thousand years has led to a massive population increase without any change in hierarchical dispositions .
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Solar Shield

Solar Shield
15/5/2005
Andre Willers

Global warming is not just a short term problem . Barring catastrophe , human energy generation from fusion and non-solar sources  will within a few centuries exceed the solar influx . We will need planetary air-conditioning .

(See Larry Niven's Puppeteer Planets)

At first , the simplest way is to put up an umbrella .

A simple solar Umbrella can be created by injecting Lunar reflecting dust into a hyperbolic orbit between the sun and Earth by mass-drivers on Luna .

The space elements of a moonbase and mass-drivers an be done with existing technology .

The Terran climate models needed for effective climate-control also exists , but can do with some refining .

The political control of an effective climate control system still needs some work .

The money , paradoxically , is the easiest . Big insurance companies (like Swiss Re , etc ) can easily fork up the estimated $60 billion this will cost . ( One big hurricane can cost $20 billion in damages .)           

Later on it gets trickier .

At higher levels of planetary energy generation , Hilsch-tube lasers could directly pump energy out . A model that springs to mind is a fairly massive object (a few billion tons) in a perpetually skipping orbit . Propulsion would be by Hilsch-tube lasers (existing technology) and fusion (Orion-type existing tech.) More elegantly , the lasers would be boosted by fusion processes in the laser . This could be made made fairly fail-safe , so that there would be a nett energy loss to the planet . The matter-loss would have to be topped up ( comets?)

Of course , the same technology could be used to strip-mine a planet or sun .     
Cascaded Hilsch-tubes were used in the South-African Uranium235-enrichment process for weapons purposes . A large physical or magnetic Hisch-tube cascade can be used like a mass-spectrometer to separate elements .

It would make a great booster for light-sails , or an awesome weapon . Also , cheap , pure elements          

Time horizen : since all the above elements are based on standard physics , it can be done . Whether it will be , depends on humans .

Regards
---

Reusable reaction mass.
15/5/2005
Andre Willers
               
Illustration:

Imagine a 50 ton solar-powered launching  satelite with a set of mass-driver rings in LEO at 18 000 mph in a West-to-East  Low Earth Orbit .

Let it accellerate a 50 ton payload via mass-driver to 36 000 mph in some tangential direction .

In reaction , the Launching satelite will now orbit at 18 000 mph in an East-to-West direction .

Of course it is a bit more complicated than this , but the orbital mechanics are well within present technology (and really old maths) .

Docking new craft with the Launching satelite is also proven technology (ref International Space Station). This can then be relaunched in the opposite direction .

Essentially , the same reaction mass can be used over and over again , as long as it has been in orbit and an energy source is available (solar power , nuclear , etc).

All you need to do is get off-planet . Later on , the most valuable real-estate becomes in-vacuo mass (because you can use mass-drivers cheaply).

The orbit can be around any planet or sun .
The station need never decay .

One can imagine a Solar System ( at various ages ) with literally millions of millennia-old booster-stations in various solar and planetary orbits , each of various technological levels of development . They are inhabited , of course . Throw in some collapses and a singularity or two .
The political system and races will be quite fragmented .

Alien invaders would only consider a system with a developed transport infrastructure and fragmented culture .

This stellar signature should be quite distinct . The end result should be a Dyson-sphere or Ringworlds . But the intermediate stages will vary considerably .

They should also be observed more easily .

Jupiter class worlds will be moved closer to the sun for more efficient dismantling .

Planetary blobs and ringworlds should be observable by striations . Technological ramp-ups up waste-energy dispersal should be measurable if there are handy gas-clouds of various distances nearby . Reflections of planetary laser-heat dispersals varying over time might give a clue .

As can be seen , arriving at the optimum Dyson sphere stage will be outmatched by the number of civilizations either en-route or become agley .

To quote a Sol humanoid , each happy civilization is the same , but each unhappy one is unhappy in its own way .

Happy universes !

---

Human Hair

Human Hair

Andre Willers
1 Mar 2007
(Sources: See bottom .)

Synopsis:
Hair in Mammals ( feathers in Dinosaurs) play the major role in the physical positioning of neuron-cells in the brain . There are structures mirroring ,for instance , the physical structure of the snout in the thalamus, the brain-stem , the cortex . The driving force is the mechanoreceptors at the base of each hair and evolution .

In a competitive environment , the neural-network in the brain that has a closer correlation with actual physical structure has a slight advantage . The time-intervals here are of the order of 25 milliseconds , so physical structure is significant .

So , each baby in the womb already develops a set of mirror neurons defining the self based on data from the mechanoreceptors in its body-hairs , but especially in the cranial hair . (“Why is cranial hair always present in a baby? The brain goes this side , dummy .”)

From long mammalian history , whiskers around the mouth are especially important . Hence the prevalence of moustaches in all sexes .

The brain is extremely plastic , so manipulation of hair and follicles directly influence mirror-networks in the brain , not only at cortex level , but at sub-cortex level as well .

Shaving , hairdressing , depilation , etc has a direct effect on the neuron-mirroring organization of the brain .

Buzzwords:
“Trigeminal system”
“Somato-sensory system” (aka neuronal mirrors)
“Topographic maps”
“Sensory barrels/barrelets/barreloids.”

Discussion :

Loss of hair :
From the above , it follows that loss of classes of mechanoreceptors will result in the release of certain mirror-neurons to be used in other duties (due to the plasticity of the brain) .

The Toba event (circa 72 000 bce) triggered forced wearing of clothes (due to the cold .) The differentiation between body and head lice (from genetic evidence) indicates a rapid decrease of body-hair , thereby freeing up a large number of mirror-neurons for cultural duties . Once this process started , the positive feedback element represented by the greater survival potential of enhanced cultural capability led to the triumph of the less hairy ones .

Moustaches :
The system is especially sensitive around mouth whiskers . Note rats , bats , otters , any mammal , birds , even insects .

In humans , moustaches are associated with aggression and social status based on aggression . (ref Celts , Sergeants ,  law-enforcement , warriors ,etc) . The message being sent is that the wearer of aforementioned moustache has not wasted any mirror-neurons on empathy , so beware .

Females go to great pains to eradicate moustaches , but also any other mechanoreceptors (hairs) , especially around the face . In any culture . This frees up even more mirror neurons , making them generally smarter , but much better at putting themselves into another’s place . Remember , in competitive environments even a small advantage accrues over time .

The question has to asked : in some dominant societies ( Republican  Romans , Americans , Victorians) the males shaved their faces . What advantage did this give ? The reason seems to be that their officials were elected . If you want to appear caring for the voter and non-threatening , don’t have a moustache or beard . If you want a strong , military appearance , the reverse is true . See historical portraits .

Shaving the head :
From the above arguments , this should lead to lead to a distinct realignment of the mirror-neurons in the brain . This translates as a discontinuity in the sense of self  on a nuts-and-bolts level .

Hence its popularity with marines , armies , monks , religions , involuntary mind changers .
It actually changes the mapping in the brain . If a strong new meme-structure is available , the new mapping will mirror that . Brainwashed .
Of special note here is the punishment meted out to female collaborators after WW2 (France) . Shaving the head was usually considered sufficient punishment . What they didn’t mention was the mirror-neuron realignment after the event due to social; pressure .

Age
Also note the hairloss correlated with age . The wisdom of age is normally ascribed to age , but a better approximation would be that loss of hair freed enough neurons to be smarter .

Some other corollaries:
Don’t try to think seriously while the wind is blowing . Houses are conducive to deep thought .

Scratching your head when puzzled : neurons busy with the problem are pre-empted by the mechanoreceptors . The problem is reset and can be approached from a different angle . A powerful argument against shaving the head . Note that systems that shave the head are very enduring (ie not open to alternatives) (Monks of all descriptions)

Optimal length of hair .
Each sex , occupation and society will have an optimal length of hair in the spectrum : Too long , too many brain resources used , too short , inflexibility .


Body hair and body image.
The mirror neurons in your brain form a body-image based on the mechanoreceptors of all the hairs on your body . Note that this includes the inside skin : ie the villi of the lungs , guts  , veins , arteries , cellwalls .

Just looking at external skin , this defines how fat or thin your image of yourself is . The brain can only see those parts of the skin that has hair  . In obesity areas like the armpits , thighs , lap-folds which have been chafed away , are blank . Changing areas of skin around them by dieting or exercise  won’t change the image .

Depilation as result of deodorants and fashion has probably more to do with the present epidemic of obesity than diet or exercise . The poor brain cannot get enough feedback that it understands of where the boundaries of it’s body is supposed to be .


A low tech , risk-free and optimal solution is available :
The trick is to redefine the body image .
The skin is full of mechanoreceptors , even where there is no hair .
Stimulate them to mimic hair .

The method :
Take a hair brush , (or any multipointed object) , put the bristles on the skin (say under the armpit) , indent it slightly , then pull it slightly until you feel the skin pulling .
Remove and repeat on a different spot .
Repeat .
Essential after plastic surgery to redefine the new body limits .

Time to observable effect : I don’t know (I’m only going to try this myself now) . Image changes should appear after about 2 weeks , though cellulite should disappear sooner .

Cautions:
Hair might appear in previous hairless areas . Leave them .
Do not do this before an exam : you are using neurons for the body image that can be more profitably used in the exam .

Pissed off:
What really pisses me off is that grooming is so important at a neuronal level .

Shaving with blunt razor will make a man measurably stupider . Sitting by an open window with the wind on your hair will make you measurably stupider . A tight shirt will reduce your IQ .

And I thought appearances didn’t matter .

Some other considerations :

Image pathologies :

Eating disorders usually have psychological components . Just using the method above should help , but the pathology usually in stubborn cases would be rooted not only in the self-image but also in the image the person has of what other people are thinking .

Try displacement and overload combined  : dress the person in a furry suit ( teddy bear ,rabbit ,etc) . Let the person roleplay into the character .  If you really , really want to give them a traumatic shock ,  then shave the suit while they are wearing it . Guaranteed to redefine the self-image , but in an unknown direction .

Partial depilation :

The famous Bikini wax :
Repeated applications will result in swollen genitals , as the brain does not know the boundaries anymore .

Plastic surgery :
The new structure is not trained into the desired body-image . Hit or miss.

The hairy human:
As stated , all humans are hairy . Some (like the Chinese) have fewer coarse hairs . If you look closely , you will see that they (and all woman) are just as furry , but much finer .
Since it takes more force to move a coarse hair , the corresponding effect in the brain’s neural network is accordingly weighted .

Societies civilized for a long time will select for fine hair (the female component is selected for non-coarse hair because visible coarse facial hair is associated with aggression : see moustache above .)

The Shaven Neck.
Humans wearing a shirt and (for good measure) a tie are continually subjected to mechanoreceptors stimulation if their neck-hair is long . (Regardless of the length of their top-hair .)
This reduces their performance in a directional way :

If they are subservient , it makes them irritable and inclined to bullying .
If they are not subservient , it makes them irritable and inclined to rebelliousness .

Hence , armies and prisons require clean necks , usually (but not always ) associated with short hair .

This is why the tie is still de rigeur .
What bugs me is that wearing a tie actually enhances neuronal performance . You are smarter if you have a clean neck and a tie than if you do not have a clean neck . (This explains a lot about the Israeli cabinet) .
Notice that the military , police  and politicians always have clean necks .
And you wonder why they are in control . They have evolved systems that make them smarter .

Sources:
“Seeking the neural code” Scientific American , Dec 2006
http://andreswhy.blogspot.com”  
Amongst others:
“The Religious Experience and Proximal rewards”  , also   “Primitives _0”

Napoleon Emperor of

Napoleon , Emperor of India

Andre Willers
18 Feb 2007

Synopsis :

A small tweak in history would have resulted in a totally different world , where India and possibly China were Napoleonic and the world Wars never happened .

(See Appendix A below for criteria .)

The threads:

It is may 15th  , 1768 at Versailles .
Corsica , nominally a Genoese territory , but de facto independent under General Paoli , is signed over to France for settlement of various debts .

The French , smarting under the losses to England incurred in North America , India and especially Quiberon Bay in 1759 , is determined to have a stepping stone in the Mediterranean . They send a large force under Comte de Vaux .

Opposing them is Paoli and a ragtag of guerilla fighters . Among them is Carlo Buonaparte and his 19 year-old wife , Letizia (nee Ramolino ) , both minor nobility of Italian descent .

Carlo Buonaparte is a charming , spendthrift , intelligent man of large enthusiasms , but little application . Letizia has a will of steel and iron teeth for everybody except her husband .

The main French force crush the resistance in 1769 . Letizia , 6 months pregnant with Napoleon , has joined her husband from the beginning .

The French achieve a political settlement with Paoli , whereby he would go into voluntary exile to England , together with his intransigent lieutenants . ( He had good contacts via the author Boswell )

Large pensions are promised . It is cheaper to pay troublemakers to go away than to have a prolonged vendetta action .


The crux-point :

Carlo Buonaparte wanted to go with Paoli to England . He had studied (and dropped out) of universities in Italy , and liked the city life .

Something changed his mind . The results of his staying is well known . We will now examine what would have happened if he and his family had gone to England .

Letizia would have gone with him , regardless that she was 6 months pregnant . Napoleon would have been born an English citizen , not French .

He would never have been offered an active officer’s commission because of his dubious political background .

He would almost certainly have ended up in India in the British East India Company . This is where young men  at the time went to make their fortunes .

( Letizia said to Napoleon , urging him to forget Corsica (which he had nearly wrested into independence when he was twentythree) :
“Now France is ablaze – it is a noble bonfire , my son , and worth the risk of being burnt.” )

Napoleon and Wellington would have been colleagues , being the same age and united against the old fogeys of corruption and incompetence .

What a combination !

They would have set the east ablaze !

After conquering India and all desirable neighbouring parts , Napoleon’s ambitions would have pushed him to at least vice-royalty , then Emperor of India .

It is doubtful whether Wellington would have followed him in this . His Anglo-Irish roots were too deep .

But there would have been very little that England could have done about it . England already had the experience of losing valued colonies in North America . As long as Napoleon just kept Europe stirred up (divide and conquer) and kept his main energies confined to the East , they would let him be .

Would he have invaded China (a la Grande armee 1812) ?
Probably . But the outcome would have been different . China has no killer winters and areas can be held piecemeal .

In Europe nationalism would not have taken such deep root . The Germanies would not unify . Social unease would be intense because of stratification . But overthrowing the state by armed revolution in this world would not be possible . France would be deeply divided , something like Germany after 1945 in our timeline .

There would be large-scale emigration from France to the US . The US civil war would probably not happen . I have no hard proof of this , just the feeling millions of starving French peasants (ie those that would have been killed in the wars of our timeline) flooding into Louisiana , Quebec and the American south would have changed their perceptions of the problems facing them .

The powerblocs would be Britain , Russia , Napoleonic East and US .
The industrialization of China and Japan would occur much earlier than in our timeline . The presence of the Napoleonic powerbloc (ie not western ) would force a ally-development , instead of exploitation .

Especially , if , as is likely , Napoleon appreciated the importance of mass-produced spectacles . It is the sort of thing that he would notice . The importance of this point cannot be overstressed . No eastern state or political system has survived the introduction of glasses for all . Literacy means little if you cannot make out the ideograms after age 35 . Fine machining likewise .

Essentially , a technological civilization is impossible for humans unless they have glasses . So there .

Would a WWI be possible in this timeline?

In our timeline , French capital fueling Russian industrialization  circa 1890-1914 threatened Germany and Britain  . Especially sensitive were certain very high-return British investments by politicians in China (ie Opium) being threatened by cheaper capital from Russia . There was also great concern in the upper classes about over-population . The British (Lord Grey) formulated the expansion of the old “divide and conquer” strategy  whereby Germany would be forced into war . A lukewarm support of France (like the initial retreat of British Expeditionary Forces in 1914 ) allowed the European adversaries to bleed themselves to death . Kitcheners volunteer army was not foreseen . They torpedoed him after Somme . It worked , but t’was  a Pyrrhic victory .

In the other timeline , French capital would have been replaced by British capital in Russia . The  US capital growth ( by now heavily Franco-German) would have suffered accordingly .

The special understandings would be Anglo-Russian , US-French . Napoleonic East would play them off against each other .

A meat-grinder war like WWI would be impossible , since both Anglo-
Russian and US-French eastern flanks would be vulnerable to Napoleonic East .(The Ottoman Empire would long been subsumed) . The Austro-Hungarian Empire would (as usual) been the hotbed of espionage , goings-on and other humans having a glorious time .

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Appendix A
Criteria for estimating crux-points in alternate histories.

See history as a relief terrain map with length and breadth and height .
The height is the probability of an event . The length and breadth dimensions of the map is necessary to describe the possibilities .

See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com  why three dimensions like this are necessary and sufficient to describe any number of dimensions which do not have singularities (and even some that do!)

A good approximation is that the individual is part of the weave of the map , but this is difficult for persons  with identifiable viewpoints to understand .

A second approximation is to see the individual as a point (ping-pong ball if you will) moving over the landscape and interacting with it .

Take Napoleon .
The criteria for success here is for a very energetic ball hopping all over the place . If it lands anywhere , it rolls uphill .
This translates in human terms to be certain of yourself , and tell everybody you meet that . Meet a lot of people (be energetic) . Some are certain to be impressed . Peter’s principle means that many people in hierarchical positions are incompetent  and uncertain what to do . This is especially true in periods of rapid change (like revolutions , etc) .

Some seeds will fail , others bear fruit .

Individuals who can do this well and consistently , have high ridges on the probability landscape .

A 20-20 hind vision here helps . A pathway that enables Napoleon to get to India with some legitimacy , is  high ridge . Napoleon thrived on chaos.  Hence I judged the probabilities as a high-ridge fork .

xxx

The Silk Route

The Silk Route.

Roman Empire – Han Period

By Andre Willers
Dated 1 Feb 2007

Synopsis:
Silk is a  good example of real-politic usage of end-user monopolies and comparative advantages . Both the Romans and the Chinese ended up with large quantities of silk-armour paid for by indirect taxation on the luxury trade .

End-User Monopoly :
The major end users of silk were the standing , professional armies . While not as good as antibiotics , the ability of silk underarmour patches to cut RELATIVE  mortality rates of puncture wounds is an estimated factor of 30 ( Comments? ) of expensively trained soldiers , not to mention the precious hides of the officers .

The factor of thirty is conservative . It derives from all the possible ways things that can fail , do fail . (To be exact probability = 1/e )

Silk is a force-multiplier for a standing , professional army .

The source of silk was everywhere (wild silk) , though China at the start had a comparative advantage as to long-length silk-fibres (they killed the larvae without damaging the thread , whereas in wild silk the larva eats through the cocoon , cutting the thread) .

Rome had an equivalent technical advantage in weaving and metallurgy .

Both Empires were thoroughly familiar with comparative advantages , as well as the law of unintended consequences .

Furthermore , they were not in competitition with each other and would not be in the foreseeable future .

If they incorporated each other’s advantages through espionage  , the end result would not be more silk armour , but less . The luxury trade would swallow up all silk production , and control measures would be a futile exercise .


If however , a percentage of long-fibre silk was traded from China to Rome , there beneficiated into luxury transparent silk , which was sold at a huge markup to the Roman ladies ( and ironies , back to the Chinese ladies) .  The profits paid for huge wild-silk farms in the middle east . Payment for long-silk fibres was taken partly in wild silk , which was  then exported to China at a lower cost than they could produce it . The same in the West .

In effect , the upper classes paid an unnoticed tax to outfit their armies with silk-underarmour .

It was a nice little scheme that worked well while both Emperors had sufficient authority to prevent a bit of industrial espionage , as well as a sufficiently deep well of surplus wealth in the ruling classes .

Notice how Tiberius ( one of the most morally corrupt military Roman emperors ) used a ban on transparent luxury silks to stimulate demand .


The collapse of the Arrangement in the West is well documented . But what about the East ? Did Weaving and translucent silk production suddenly soar after Chinese long-fibre silk worms were introduced in the West?

Yes!
The middle east production of wild-silk went to the nomads . The  initial production surge went to the Huns . The timing is about right . The conventional viewpoint is that the birthrate of the west tanked and the more virile steppe dwellers surged in with greater numbers . In actual fact , equivalent percentages on both sides died from the plagues , but in the battles those with silk underarmour recovered quicker .

If all this sounds far-fetched , please consider diamonds in the world-economy 1890 – present .  

Another example of a recent end-user monopoly is oil during the 1920-1972 period .


Silk and the Mongols.

The Mongols during this period ( --- till circa 1750) never had more than 700 000 Mongols on the steppe , with about 2 million on the boundaries of the steppe (making bows , iron , children , old people ) . Manpower attrition was a very big worry . Thus , every Mongol had silk underarmour , which had to be replaced frequently . Silk was much bigger strategic factor for them than their opponents .  Of course , the Chinese and Khwaresms knew this .  Obviously , the Mongols could not expect large-scale silk supplies from China .

But the Middle-east then was still a large producer of wild-silk (Islamic armies used silk armour) .

When the Khwaresms  cut off his ambassadors’ heads , Ghengis Khan knew he faced a war of attrition on two fronts , and that his supply of silk had been equally truncated.  The Khwaresms were the weaker front , and he could defeat them . But they could continue to breed new warriors , and worse , trade silk as a multiplier of force . The only long-term solution was to exterminate the cities , then destroy the capability of the remnants in the countryside to re-establish agriculture . Genghis was loath to do the last , since it would decrease the future value of his holdings . But the crucial factor here was the force-multiplier of silk .  The Mongols could not afford to leave behind infrastructure that could support silk production .

Hence , they destroyed it . The regions have never recovered .
----

The Religious Experience and Proximal rewards

The Religious Experience and Proximal rewards

Synopsis:
The religious center (so-called “God-center”) will exist in any entity with self-consciousness . The inverse is also implied , as the tie binding them is proximal rewards .

Firstly , what is meant by proximal rewards must be clearly understood .
( See http://andreswhy.blogsput.com “ Dopamine and Preparedness.” )

At a nuts-and-bolts level , the molecules and systems follow the steepest gradient of the applicable reward-system . They go for the biggest immediate reward and literally cannot “see” an even bigger reward in the future .

The donkey can only see the carrot before its nose .

There is another problem in multicellular organisms , in that Organ A may need to make sacrifices , but all the reward will go to Organ B .

Proximal rewards are the way this is handled . ( ie the carrot in front of the donkey’s nose .)

This is how any parent , salesman , politician , organism etc operates : by manipulating proximal rewards .

Secondly , how are these proximal rewards activated ?
Various mechanisms are possible . ( ie from hard-wired instincts to divine revelation)

Organisms with neurons evolved mirror-layers of neurons for time-binding .
( Why layers ? : see http://andreswhy.blogspot.com “ The Universum .” )
( Why mirrors ? : see http://andreswhy.blogspot.com “ Primitives_0 .” )

The brief argument for hominids runs as follows :
The need for trajectory-computing to throw and hit anything drives the evolution of mirror-layers in the cortex (time-binding). The process continues and accelerates when the mirror-layers are used to estimate the behaviour of other hominids , who also have the same capability . A positive-feedback arms-race ensues .

Some layers will mirror the hominid body , but not the layers mirroring itself ( equivalent to consciousness). Time binding is intensified , but predicting and changing its behaviour using factors involving its own behaviour does not work .

Up to this stage the network inside the hominid is not sufficiently complex and cannot generate a virtual self (eg self-consciousness) . Behaviour is governed by a straightforward summation of the various proximal reward vectors .

Now let layers mirror other layers entirely internally . A virtual self is created ( equivalent to self-consciousness) . This positive feedback process can generate output from the virtual self which is not derived from external input . This enables the hominid to do much better predictions , but the nature of the feedback process increases the noise-level (uncertainty) in its predictions drastically . The predictions(opinions) change continually .

It needs a proximal reward to tell it which is the correct one
(eg that feels “righteous” , “just” )

A further problem is sleep .
At sleep , the virtual self ceases to exist . At every awakening , the virtual self will be reset at random (due to the complexity of the underlying total vector-state) , unless it has a unique proximal reward vector . The sense of continuity of self requires it . This seems to have a particular site in the brain (“the God-site”) . Strong magnetic fields targeted on this site gives rise to feelings of immanence , somebody else around , unity with all . These are to be expected if the very basis of continuity of self is perturbed while the virtual self is running .

This should make religious brain-washing a snap , especially if an internal brain neurotransmitter used only for this proximal reward is involved (which is likely) .

Therapeutic uses are of great promise .
Even cosmetic or game-playing .
Tired of being yourself ?
You can become a monk , fast and meditate for years , etc, etc.

Or put on a helmet , take a pill and fire up the latest immersive VR game and be the great hero . I presume the come-down will be easier with practice .

The technique is really very simple . The only defense for a society is diversity , or a super-proximal reward : eg an intolerant religion . Does this seem familiar ? It is an iterative argument . We have already been through this with christianity , islam , communism , etc , etc ad nauseam .

Why did diversity win ?
The religious experience co-evolved with self-consciousness so that we could have a better prediction and understanding of our environment . One of God’s little jokes . You cannot be self-conscious without having a religious sense . Otherwise the hominid organism is just an assembly at the mercy of every passing whim ( a non-functional psychopath) .

At least , this answers the question of “Why does it feel Good to be altruistic ?”
At a nuts-and-bolts level , the self-consciousness knows that the best solution involves foregoing present rewards in lieu of greater future rewards for your kin or society . This translates into a proximal reward , which gives that warm glow of a good deed . If enough people do this , you have an organized religion .

Hominids tend to clump together in groups because of mutual grooming , kin and general laziness . So it is no surprise that some of the most intense religious exaltations are experienced by those deliberately going against these principles because their self-conscious tells them it is the right thing to do : military groups like the US Seals , Marines , SAS , Spetznatz , Templars , Hospitalliers , Shaolin , Janisseries , etc ,etc . Monks and missionaries . Christian missionaries have been the most effective and thorough conquering force known . And it is not force of arms . Look at the Celts in Ireland and Britain , the Norse , Danes , Swedes ,Russians or Romans for that matter for the Christian religion . Islam had a similar success. Most of both conversions were peaceful. Buddhism (especially in Mongolia) similarly . Most of the world would be Marxist today if it were not for the excesses of Stalin and Mao . Is it going to be Marxist in the future in any case? Mao and Stalin were just and episode . Discuss between the layers of your mind (the good old Socratic internal dialogue) .

What is happening on the revolution front these days ? What are large numbers of people willing to sacrifice present rewards for future good ? It needs to be something everyone is passionate about , and effects the survivability of everyone on the planet .

The right to have an unlimited number of children seems to fit the bill . It is the fashionable to assume that economic factors or pollution is responsible for the fall in the birthrate in Europe . What if it is a new Religion aborning ? The lack of large-scale revolts in China (with their one-child per family policy) seems to indicate that there is general perception of self-consciousness that over-population is a problem . Agreeing to a voluntary limitation on children in Europe and China for this reason must release a very large religious pulse ( a great “Aha” feeling) which has only been partially tapped and is gathering steam .

Guilt.
There is a perception of guilt in the populations of Europe , Russias and China that their population does not increase .

BUT this is the way it has always been . The population never increased to Malthusian limits . These areas have always kept their population below catastrophic collapse levels for the last 10 000 years . And the systems have learned . No catastrophe in the last 2 000 years was as bad as the Late Bronze age climate collapse . Even the Second World War , which was the equivalent of a limited nuclear exchange did not lead to a 99% depopulation . Religious systems had a lot to do with it . Extermination wars were limited and millions of people were kept alive by altruistic endeavours like the Red Cross .

Now the people of these same areas are refusing to have too many children . They are feeling “Aha” about it in their deepest hearts . It is a religious feeling . And an awful lot of them are feeling it . In Europe and the Russias they are made to feel guilty about it .

But it is the right thing to do .

And they should be proud .

It is like a large super-saturated solution .

Ping!



Sports.

Many sportsmen qualify as monks . Ascetic lives , training hours a day , restricted diets . They are essentially religious groups . There has never been such a large equivalent group in history (the closest was the Olympic athletes in ancient Greek times) .

They have not been mobilized .

Another ping.

Andre Willers7 Dec 2006

Dopamine and Preparedness

Dopamine and Preparedness.

Andre Willers
14 Nov 2006

Sources : see at the end.

Synopsis:
Dopamine acts as a proximal reward . ie a Pleasure system
An organism anticipating a distal reward ( far off in time ) secretes dopamine as a proximal and immediate reward to bring all its systems into a state of preparedness . The greater the uncertainty , the greater the activation of preparedness needed .

The classical experiment :
A light flashes . The rat presses a lever and is rewarded . The dopamine levels are measured during the whole process .

The results showed that after the rat learned the response after a few passes . On the next pass , dopamine levels peaked before the lever was pressed , then peaked again higher after the lever was pressed and before the reward was given . In other words , the anticipation triggered the dopamine release .

If the reward was given on random basis , the release of dopamine peaked even higher when the probability of reward was 50% . In other words , when the uncertainty of the reward-state was at a maximum .

Ie if no reward is given 60% of the time , the rat is certain that he getting no reward 60% of the time . The uncertainty is then 40% . The maximum the uncertainty can be is 50% . The rat trains on the highest percentage .

This also means that the organism must be at it’s most prepared when the uncertainty of the reward is at its maximum . If the reward is going to fall into his mouth with no effort , no preparation is necessary . Likewise if there is going to be no reward . In between , it must be prepared , and the maximum preparedness is needed at 50% uncertainty .

Hence the maximum dopamine levels are at a maximum when the reward percentage in an on-off system is 50% .

In queuing theory this would be the equivalent of how the queue is ordered , since the most prepared would usually have the first place in any queue .

The proximal pleasure argument should hold in any species that is subject to evolutionary pressures . So any aliens even vaguely like us will have similar activation responses , (and similar drugs like cocaine , etc.) . They will also gamble and flirt .

The relevance to human systems .

The fact that intermittent rewards leads to higher dopamine levels (pleasure) than straight rewards has major implications for gambling , personal goals , depression , sports or any competitive endeavour .

Flirting is an extremely good example . It is an essential activity in any species with more than one sex . Some human societies even have professional flirts ( called marriage brokers or marriage makers ) .
It optimizes genetic mixes . A single female can keep large number of males on a personal string , thereby dramatically enhancing the probability of success of her offspring once she makes a choice .

The above argument seems to species independent .

Flirting in self-aware species with three , four or more sexes should be fascinating . Humans with two sexes are complex enough , but the mind boggles if there are more sexes . Though , since this process is one of the driving forces of evolving intelligence , one would expect humans to be evolving more than two sexes : see “The Sexes of Man” in http://andreswhy.blogspot.com


Reward scale:
There is a complicating factor , namely that the scale of reward might play a role in dopamine release . But the nervous system evolved as an on-off system and is notoriously bad at estimating scales . Eg gamblers will bet on anything , regardless of scale . Risk-reward odds are ignored or poorly done .

A Simple visual Dopamine stimulator .
(For a human)

In the classic Experiment above , just retain the anticipation (ie the flashing light . ) Tell the subject he can expect a reward after the light flashes . Flash the light at around double Beta-brainwave frequencies ( 30 – 60 Hz) , with a 50% chance that the flash will show on the screen . On average the screen will show half the rate ( ie Beta-frequencies) .

Intended consequences:
This should flood the system with dopamines in the active , awake state .
It entrains the system at these frequencies , since the frequency of stimulation of the pleasure systems are associated with a particular brain-wave frequency .

The frequency of the flashes might have to be adjusted upwards (as sequential non-flash sequences of 8 to 10 are probable in 300 random runs , thereby bringing down the frequency in a sequence . The effect of this is unknown , but thought to be natural in a human system .)

This should kick-start an athlete before an effort . Depressives , alcoholics or cocaine-withdrawals should benefit . Natural child-birth mothers should benefit . a nice little pick-me-up on your screen-saver .

In general a good thing in moderation .
If the frequency is adjusted to (say) theta , the pleasure-entrainment will keep the subject unconscious (pain , etc)

Abuse .

This is a cheap high , but with a small half-life . A healthy system will quickly become habituated and adjust . The half-life is unknown , but the best estimate is about 1/e (about 33%) of other dopamine opiates .

Long-term abuse will lead to a half-life of 50%
Eg:
(s= 1/3+(1.3)^2 + (1/3)^3 +…
(s=1/3*3/2)
(s=1/2)

Problems might arise in initial reward-stimulation .

Rull-type visual entrainment is at least 2 generations of thin-skin materials away .


Sources:
Pillips P et al :” Subsecond dopamine release promotes cocaine seeking” Nature 422(2003)

Fiorillo C et al “Discrete coding of reward probability and uncertainty in dopamine neurons” Science 299(2003)
General:
Sapolsky M “Monkeyluv : The pleasure and (pain) of Maybe”
ISBN 0 224 07365 6

Colitis , Dermititus , Emphysema , Hairloss

Andre Willers
12 Nov 2006

What to do : see below after you have read “Background”

Background:
All these problems involve mechanical robustness of the cells concerned . The scaffolding of every cell requires , absolutely and without any qualification , some sulfur atoms .

The above problems arise or are exacerbated by a shortage of bio-available sulfur . Through about 2 billion years of evolution , organisms have learned to handle short lived periods of decrease in the availability of sulfur .

Since it is needed everywhere , it is stored everywhere when abundant . Mechanisms evolved to recycle sulfur from non-essential organs in times of scarcity . The organs where sulfur is being withdrawn suffer consequent loss of function .

Examples of some organs:

Skin : Hide needs to be robust , strong and impenetrable . As sulfur is withdrawn , the tempo of skin-cell replenishment is reduced . The skin becomes thinner and more vulnerable to opportunistic infections . Quorum-sensing bacteria switch on lethality-genes . Dermititus occurs
Skin can also be read as cell-wall , but this would only occur much later (the organism would probably have died of other causes before this).

In the leather trade , animals whose skins are to be used for leather products are fed extra sulfur-containing feeds .

Hair (fur) : This needs a lot of sulfur , as it is continually abraded . A family history of early fur-loss might indicate a genetic problem with sulfur-fixation , or simply a lack of sulfur-fixing symbiotic bacteria , or more likely , both .

In the fur trade , animals whose skins are to be used for fur products are fed extra sulfur-containing feeds . Wool farmers ( like Vos ) do the same to get a more curly , higher quality wool .

Lungs and Intestines : Both are functionally similar in as they involve fingers (villi) sticking out to increase the absorbtion area . These fingers need to be exceptionally robust in the intestines , as liquids and semi-liquids are much more abrasive than air . Note that once liquids have gathered in the lungs (emphysema) , the same robustness is required .

It is not only the robustness of the villi , but also the rate at which they can be replaced that is important . If the body does not have enough sulfur to keep the villi robust , it won’t have enough to replace them fast enough .
The body’s absorbtion rate of nutrients also decreases as the number of villi decreases . A negative feedback cycle . Collapse can occur quite rapidly .

Also , critically , the intestine skin is also degraded by this same friction . Like with dermititus , opportunistic infections take advantage of the degradation of the intestine skin . There are a lot of these organisms . If they reach quorum stage , the organism is in serious trouble .

The lungs have an added complication , as the clearance of liquids and obstacles from the lung passages is done by small hairs . You have seen what happens to hairs above . (Birds’ lungs are much more elegant)


Anywhere where a tight seal is required .
Joints , eyes ,ears .

Joints : If you think of the seals around elbows , knees , etc as modified skin , then you can see what will happen to them as an essential building-block is withdrawn and shunted elsewhere . They grow thin and brittle , then break into small pieces .The immune system is bombarded with the breakdown cell-fragments which it identifies as from joint seals and very properly mounts an immune attack , because this is how an infection attack will appear .

Ears : The hairs in the ear canals are essential for hearing and balance .
The same argument applies .

Eyes :
This is an interesting one . Crohn’s disease frequently has infections around the eyes . This is because the seals around the eye become brittle and breaks down and opportunistic infections take hold . An auto-immune response may follow .
There is an added complication within the eyeball : readers’ eyeballs jitter as they read . This accellerates the retina . The gelid mass inside the eyeball has some ligaments , but it’s inertia means it still moves relative to the retina . So the retina has friction with this mass . If it is robust , no problem . Both the retina and the gelid mass suffer abrasion . Readers and computer users take note.

Immune System:
Impairment of the immune system .
This system works on precise physical fits of molecules . But it is itself partially composed of cells that uses sulfur . A general lack of sulfur means coarsening of the immune response . It is less precise .
Like any degraded evolutionary system , it fights a reargard action .
It loses IFF function by degrees .
“Friendly” damage is treated as hostile (Auto-immune diseases). It loses discrimination between hostile and friendly cell-prolifirations (cancer).

Needless to say , it is not only lack of sulfur that causes this , but it certainly exacerbates the situation .

Evolutionary speaking , enough such temporary losing battles had to fought long enough that the survivors had offspring . Otherwise we
would have prompt collapse instead of drawn-out degradation of ability .

Old age

These symptoms appear disturbingly like age . This is to be expected in anything that degrades cell-function .

The difference is that we can actively do something about bio-sulfur availability . It should help considerably .


What to do.

Summary
Fifty gram of each of various varieties of unpasteurized cheese plus MSM should do the trick .

See below .


Take MSM . This is a bio-active form of sulfur , available at any pharmacy or health shop .

If you have any of the above symptoms , you probably have a huge deficit in sulfur to make up . There seems to no upper dose : extra gets washed out , but consult your physician if in doubt about large dosages .

I take about 3 gm a day(for about 7 years).
A rule of thumb is to take large doses until your bog stinks of H2S (that rotten egg smell that you don’t find anymore. It means that your body can’t use any more sulfur at the moment .) . Then throttle down to just above that .

Just taking MSM is not sufficient . The efficient fixators of sulfur in your body is the symbiotic bacteria in your gut .

Unfortunately , these have been taking a bit of a hammering in the last 150 years .
The major culprit is , of course , anti-biotics. They kill all sorts of bacteria , including the benign ones . Probiotics might be taken to restore some bacteria , but the restorations are mono-cultures .

The other culprit is pasteurization .
Humans have co-evolved with the bacteria found in raw cow or goat milk for at least 10 000 years , long enough for mutual adaptation . The rennit in their stomachs was used for fermentation in the cheese , yoghurt , curds ,etc processes . Thus bacteria from anaerobic stomachs (ie sulfur fixators) evolved into benign forms for humans .

Pasteurization kills these benign bacteria , as well as the bad ones . The trick is to isolate the benign ones and take them , without killing yourself with malign bacteria .

An interesting aside : plot the incidence of asthma against pasteurization and you find a direct correlation . Farm kids are well-known for their low incidence of asthma , and all sorts of fancy reasons have been advanced (including by me) . It seems much more reasonable to suppose that they were exposed to raw milk for long enough at certain critical ages . The benign bacteria had already been through a selection process ( 10 000 years ) that they are benign , but sufficiently different for the immune system to have bone or three to chew on (like Cerebrus).

Luckily we have a large commercial system that is eager to supply you with this : The Organic Produce system..

The trick is to get a variety of unpasteurized cheeses , yoghurt or milk . Don’t try the milk unless you know the supplier . The cheese is the safest. Unpasteurized cheese is expensive , but you don’t need a lot . You only need the cell cultures.
Fifty gram of each of various varieties of unpasteurized cheese plus MSM should do the trick

WARNING: do not do this unless you are taking MSM . Since the new sulfur-fixers are more efficient than those already in your gut , your intake of dietary sulfur might decrease . You will be making things worse , not better .


Why is there a shortage of bio-sulfur in the human food-chain?

A limited resource (bio-sulfur)is spread over an increasing number of humans and animals , but is not recycled . A lessening of concentration is inevitable.

We know for a fact that animals do not get sufficient sulfur . Why ? Otherwise it would not be necessary for leather and fur breeders to pay good money to feed these animals extra . And feed they do . Google “MSM” and “animal feed” and you will see that you can buy trainloads of animal quality MSM . They do it to make their quality of hide or fur saleable . Otherwise they would not spend a cent .

Ironically , the meat-animals , which form the basis of the human sulfur food-chain , are not fed anything extra (there is no extra pay for that like there is for fur or hide) , are stall-fed from crops that have very low sulfur content . Their excrement is not recycled over the fields . Their carcases are eaten by humans , but the human excrement ( with all the precious elements like sulfur) are not recycled onto land but dumped at sea . Human corpses ( each with at least 15 kg of sulfur) are sequestered into biological enclaves of cemeteries .

A “normal” human or animal diet at present time does not give sufficient sulfur for a healthy beastie .




Addendum:
The Sulfur-Oxygen Metabolism of Earth

This is an ancient evolutionary heritage from the origins of life , when the atmosphere had no oxygen and was sulfur-rich .

However , with the advent of an oxygen atmosphere , the number of avenues for an aerobic organism to fix sulfur became limited . The preferred path was symbiosis , even down to the gene level . (Gene symbionts ) Sulfur bacteria survived below the chemocline in the oceans or in the guts of animals . Sulfur-handling genes survived in the cells and mitochondria .

Below the chemocline there is no oxygen . Anaerobic bacteria thrive (as we speak) . The ancien regime is still alive and waiting for a comeback .

At periodic intervals (when the planetary temperature became warm enough ) at roughly the equivalent of 1000 ppm of CO2 , the oceans became so warm that the solubility of oxygen in seawater decreased to such an extent that not enough oxygen could dissolve to prevent the chemocline from reaching the surface . H2S is directly released into the atmosphere over large areas of the ocean . Oxygen organisms in the vicinity take refuge in the H2S triggered freeze (hibernation) . As the wind blows or the winter comes , they pop back and repopulate and make oxygen . And so it goes , until one day the temperature never goes down low enough . Venus , here we come .(Remember , the Sun is continually getting warmer.)

Andre