20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum

Re: 20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum

Postby tahanson43206 » Sun Jan 15, 2017 6:28 pm

Reference #1
2017/01/15

Page 7 Paragraph 3 continued to Page 8

Dr. Dartnell continues his consideration of the work of Dr. James Lovelock in this paragraph, with a description of a "book for all seasons".

Dr. Dartnell's own work is a starting seed for Lovelock's vision.

I am reasonably sure that the knowledge and skill set encapsulated by the human race in 2016/2017 is not documented, just as the contents of any human (or animal for that matter) is not documented.

It is anticipated by some future oriented writers that the day may come when the state of a biological neural network can be captured, just as can be done with a silicon neural network today, but I suspect that such a capability is some distance off.

A working alternative, and in point of fact, what we humans are attempting to do today, is to pass knowledge along from one generation to the next. The ability to write (and read what was written) has helped significantly in the efficiency of the process in recent centuries.

The idea of creating a 1,000,000 person Mars City Simulation on Earth, discussed in another thread on this forum, has the potential to identify knowledge and skills considered by the participants to reflect what is most valuable in the variety in existence on Earth in 2017.

***
As an addition to the theme of possible topics for authors envisioned by THIS thread, here is another example.

A dish washing brush is a common tool for kitchen use in the United States, and more than likely around the world, although the use of a simple cloth rag is very likely even more common.

In the Mars City Simulation, if all correspondence with the outside universe is via digital transmissions, it is possible to imagine that there would be a need for a digital file describing how to assemble atoms to provide a sturdy dish washing brush.

In considering a specific example, sold under the brand name of "Dawn", I can see that the Chinese manufacturer has employed at least two separate processes, and possibly three, in creating the product sold under UPC 0 11171 22613 7.

The product is (apparently) produced by Butler Home Produces LLC
http://www.dawnkitchen.com

The specific brush examined here is (apparently) no longer available on the web site, but produce 432253 (UPC 11171 32253 2) is similar.

The difference is that the product identified as UPC 0 1171 22613 7 has plastic bristles instead of the (apparently) brass ones shown on the web site.

Regardless that the difference of the bristles, the point of interest for this discussion is how a hypothetical resident of a Mars City Simulation would approach the challenge of making a brush equivalent to the one shown on the web site.

The major component of the brush is the white plastic handle and head, which I expect was made by injecting hot plastic into a mold.

Upon close inspection, I can see that the plastic handle and head were made it two sections, a top and a bottom.

It turns out that the bristles are an even number, which would be consistent with the bristles having been routed through pairs of holes in the base half of the head.

It seems reasonable to suppose that the top half of the head was then positioned over the bottom half of the head, while the bristles were held in place.

The final stage of assembly would (presumably) have been heat sealing of the top half of the assembly to the bottom half.

An additional step may have occurred, to provide the blue rubber-like coating at the end of the handle. This coating provides an agreeable texture that facilitates gripping of the handle, compared to the slick white plastic of the base of the handle.

A city of a million people would presumably be large enough to justify more than one injection molding establishment. In accordance with the principles of capitalist competition (as discussed in the Adam Smith thread in this forum), it would seem appropriate to insure that there are at least three injection molding establishments, and I suspect a million person community could support them.

However, I am more interested in the challenge of creating this brush using atom assembly, which is the technology I consider most likely to insure success of human expansion into space.

Such assembly systems are envisioned by Kim Stanley Robinson in "Aurora", as just one example of contemporary writers who are thinking about how human expansion into space is likely to occur.

Specification of assembly instructions for atom assembly of the subject brush seems to me to be similar to what would be required for 3D printing.

Specification of the handle and head (without bristles) would seem (to me) to be fairly straight forward, and if the handle is to be assembled in a gravitational field, then a reasonable approach would be to assemble from the tip of the handle vertically through to the curved tip of the head.

However, how a separate step to include the bristles would occur is beyond my imagination at the moment.

Thus, the process to design a complete brush similar to the one specified here is left as an exercise for an enterprising author who might appear on this forum.

(th)
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Re: 20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum

Postby tahanson43206 » Sat Jan 21, 2017 7:31 pm

2017/01/21 K1 Post

Reference #1: Page 8 Paragraph 2

In this paragraph, Dr. Dartnell introduces Denis Diderot, who attempted to capture the knowledge of his time:

Google: 318,000 results for search string: wikipedia denis diderot

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Diderot

I am indebted to Dr. Dartnell for bringing Monsieur Diderot to my attention.

The article at the link above contains a link to the “Encyclopedia”:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A9die

Begin Quotation:
The Encyclopédie played an important role in the intellectual ferment leading to the French Revolution.
End Quotation.


A developing purpose of this thread, comprising the first of three interrelated threads in the Knowledge Forum, is to focus upon particular objects which might be assembled by atom assembly devices, similar to 3D Printers. The locale for these devices is assumed to be locations away from Earth, where the resources of the population of Earth are not available, and thus Adam Smith's “Division of Labor” is severely constrained to replicate the civilization of Earth as it exists in 2017.

However, it is likely that atom assemblers will be invented and developed on Earth, long before they become common equipment in locations away from Earth.

Today, I am considering design and assembly of reading glasses, although the principles of design for these should be similar to those needed for any vision enhancing device that may be required.

Assuming lens are manufactured separately from frames, and also assuming assembly will be performed in a gravitational field (real or simulated), the designer will need to employ base material to support the lens while it is being laid down.

Control of atom assembly to achieve needed curvature of the inner and outer surfaces of the lens will require mathematical computation. However, as with 3D Printers existing in 2017, the computations can be performed separately from the assembly machine, so that the robotic atom placement functions simply operate according to previously prepared plans. As with 3D printers, once a particular design has been rendered into machine instructions, it should be possible to set multiple assembly devices to work, so that even though each assembly takes substantial amounts of time, the overall rate of production of a facility might be expected to meet the needs of a population of 1,000,000 persons.

(th)
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Re: 20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum

Postby tahanson43206 » Sun Jan 29, 2017 12:57 am

2017/01/28 K1 Post

Reference #1 Page 8 Paragraph 2

In this paragraph, Dr. Dartnell advances his argument concerning preservation of knowledge in the form of a book. In this particular paragraph, he envisions a project that would require “tens of thousands of people over many years.”

He concludes the paragraph with these significant words:
Begin Quotation:
The purpose of this toil would be … the immortality of our civilization itself.
End Quotation.

In the present work, Dr. Dartnell has undertaken the construction of a book which would contain the rudiments of knowledge sufficient to jumpstart a re-creation of the civilization we have on Earth today, in part by leaving what amount to bread crumbs to help readers to avoid centuries or perhaps millennia of delay.

However, in this thread, in combination with others in this forum, I am exploring the feasibility of doing precisely what Dr. Dartnell has described. Having arrived at the arbitrary number of 1,000,000 persons to comprise a viable working backup copy of the civilization of Earth in 2017, I am undertaking exploration of how a working backup might be created on Earth, with the idea in mind of moving the entire community to a location such as Mars.

An interesting bit of news is circulating on the Internet in these closing days of January 2017, to the effect that Elon Musk may be talking about constructing a tunnel between SpaceX offices and the Los Angeles airport because he recognizes that a lasting community on Mars will have to live in tunnels underground for many years, and he would be able to acquire understanding of the process of tunneling by building here on Earth.

My concept is that a working copy of the Civilization of Earth might be created in a network of tunnels in an agreeable setting, where an “agreeable setting” is defined as a nation state open to the idea of gathering 1,000,000 persons from around the world to encapsulate all human knowledge and capability.

A working hypothesis for this venture is that the people who would volunteer to undertake life underground when there is a perfectly good terrestrial environment just a short distance away, would be precisely the sort of persons who might be able and willing to move to Mars or the Moon or other locations away from Earth, where living in tunnels for protection from radiation would be normal.

(th)

The knowledge topic I'd like to introduce today is the broad category of shaving equipment, and the specific topic of the Norelco 4401LC

https://philips.encompass.com/model/NOR ... Shaver_3Hd
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Re: 20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum

Postby tahanson43206 » Tue Jan 31, 2017 6:51 pm

2017/01/31 Artificial silk from Whey

In another part of Dr. Dartnell's forum, there has been some discussion of production of fiber for clothing.

The research reported in the article at the link below seems to show promise as a way to make artificial silk from a part of milk:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/ ... silk-whey/

Because this is the "author culture" thread, I will close this post with the observation that it is likely a person could focus upon this research for an extended period.

More research will be done and reported, and at some point it is likely patents will be filed, and one or more organizations will attempt to manufacture this new material on a commercial basis.

One option that occurred to me, in the context of Dr. Dartnell's forum, is that small manufacturing operations might be possible. The natural tendency for the researchers and those who attempt to commercialize the process would be to try to achieve global scale capability. I hope that at least ** some ** thought will be given to how this process might be implemented in small scale shops which might be less efficient, but which would provide livelihood to a family, and thus benefit a greater part of the population.

(th)
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Re: 20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum

Postby tahanson43206 » Wed Feb 08, 2017 8:28 pm

20170208 Reference #1, Page 8, Paragraph #3 continuing onto Page 9

Following up on last week's post regarding Artificial silk from whey, it occurred to me that an excellent foundation capability for an atom assembler would be to make thread of carbon compounds, and wires of various dimensions from various metals.

Looking forward, it is highly desirable (in my view) for manufacturing to be dispersed over the population of a community, so that we get away from the extreme inequality which is observed in 2017 on Earth.

Extreme inequality is a predictable result of carrying the principle of Division of Labor to its ultimate conclusion. The people of Earth are working vigorously to achieve more and more complex systems that are controlled by fewer and fewer people.

In an age characterized by ownership of atom assemblers by most if not all members of a population, the economic value of assembly would be distributed more equitably than at present on Earth

***
Today's passage from Dr. Dartnell's book introduces the Apollo Moon program and segues to Wikipedia, in the context of the ongoing accumulation of knowledge going on there.

The direction of Dr. Dartnell's argument is toward the value of the book he has created.

(th)
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Re: 20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum

Postby tahanson43206 » Sat Feb 11, 2017 8:57 pm

20170211 In recent days a number of new posts have appeared in the forum.

Per Reference #1, Page 9, Paragraph 1

Begin Quotation:
In fact, I believe you can help society recover much better by taking a slightly more elegant approach.
End Quotation.

In this statement, Dr. Dartnell sets the stage for "The Knowledge" as a handbook of essential insights to (potentially) save hundreds or thousands of years of recovery time.

It is worth noting that at least two current contributors to the forum are actively engaged in survival planning and implementation. One member is working on organizing a survival community, and the other is testing ideas for survival while living in a sailboat.

My interest remains focused upon the nascent technology of atom assembly, which would be most advantageous to a community away from the Earth, where mass production facilities such as we have on Earth in 2017 would be a pipe dream. However, it is clear (to me at least) that if atom assembly machinery were owned and operated by individuals, then the negative impact of the Division of Labor leading to income inequality would be mitigated because the means of production would be distributed over the population instead of concentrated in a few owners of multi-thousand person corporations.

As a reminder for those who may be reading this message out of context, nature uses atom assemblers to build trees and other plants, animals of every description, and many minerals through accretion.

(th)
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Re: 20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum

Postby tahanson43206 » Sat Feb 18, 2017 6:45 pm

20170218 The flow of new messages in the forum continued this week.

Per Reference #1, Page 9, paragraph 2:

Begin Quotation:
"I believe," said Feynman, "it is the atomic hypothesis ...
End Quotation.

While I agree that the atomic hypothesis would be valuable to try to pass along to survivors or succeedants, I am intrigued by the hidden challenge in this paragraph.

I wonder what system of communication might work best. Cave art found in Europe and elsewhere on Earth dates back thousands of years. Since the structure of language is unknowable, perhaps illustrations would be the best vehicle for transmitting Feynman's gift.

Since we humans are still present to undertake the packaging of this and other fundamental information for transmission to an unknowable future, it seems to me that now is the right time to begin building visual representation of essential knowledge. Since caves worked previously, perhaps caves are the appropriate venue for such "transmissions" today.

(th)
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Re: 20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum

Postby tahanson43206 » Sat Feb 25, 2017 2:08 pm

20170225 The forum has been holding at 3 contributors and more than 10 messages in the Current Week List.
That is good to see! This is a marathon and not a sprint. Some of us are going to expire along the way, but our contributions can then be linked from our obituary, if Dr. Dartnell is able to sustain the forum on into the future. The best way (that I can think of) to support Dr. Dartnell, is to build up a worthy body of knowledge around the framework of "The Knowledge".

Today I'd like to point out an article on "Internet Civility" that appeared in the local paper yesterday:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/23/tech ... .html?_r=0
By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHIFEB. 23, 2017

I am glad to see a serious effort to try to detect discourteous text submitted by human beings to online services. However, the best solution is for contributors to maintain civility in the first place. Because of the long pause that has we have seen in The Knowledge Forum, an opportunity has occurred for a culture of serious writing by courteous and thoughtful people. The number of contributors in recent months is on the order of a dozen, at most, and few have attempted to match the model of weekly posts in pursuit of some in-depth topic, but as weeks pass, we may draw in potential authors who would be willing to operate at that level.

As the recent post by Dave Z on the writing of John Greer shows, there is a reasonable chance that the contributors to this forum can help to define a level of sustainable technology that is above the baseline set by the Amish, but below the unsustainable frenetic pace of the current era of human existence.

The larger goal of finding a level of sustainable technology that can be implemented on Mars, the Moon, or anywhere away from Earth, is well within the purview of this forum (in my opinion). Beyond that goal however, is the close in goad of finding a level of technology that can be implemented to provide rewarding employment to the millions of people displaced by advances in technology, and by competition in the grand tradition of capitalism.

***
The element from Reference #1 for focus today is Paragraph 3 on page 9.

In this paragraph, Dr. Dartnell builds support for the quotation from Dr. Feynman. He concludes with a hint of his larger project, to try to pass forward additional nuggets of knowledge that would save a recovering community decades, centuries or (in some cases) insuring recovery happens at all.

The best way to insure we do NOT need to recover a lost civilization is to insure we find a way to navigate the treacherous waters we find ourselves in today.

(th)
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Re: 20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum

Postby tahanson43206 » Sat Mar 04, 2017 7:22 pm

20170304 The element from Reference #1 for focus today is Paragraph 1 on page 10.

In this paragraph, Dr. Dartnell summarizes the scope and reach of his project. He concludes with the phrase:

Begin Quotation:
survivor's quick-start guide
End Quotation.

While my interest is primarily in trying to see how the future might unfold as humans move away from the Earth, I am not unmindful of the great risk we are all facing in 2017. Our joint endeavor on Planet Earth is progressing unevenly. Thanks to the Division of Labor and the Scientific Method we have achieved both the possibility of an abundant future and complete self-annihilation.

Thus, while I agree with and support Dr. Dartnell's original concept on behalf of survivors, I am interested in seeing if his concept can be adapted for use on the Moon or Mars, or in any habitat away from Earth where humans might aspire to recreate the best aspects of civilization “such as it is” on Earth in 2017, while carefully pruning the worst aspects.

It would appear likely that greed and violence will retain their potential power in human beings born in the future, regardless of their location in the Solar System or beyond.

Dr. Dartnell has steered away from consideration of social aspects of human life. While the “scientific method” does appear in the index, Division of Labor, Specialization, Barter, Exchange, Education and even School do not appear.

It seems to me that a somewhat more comprehensive rewriting of “The Knowledge” might profitably include wisdom about how to manage human beings to most rapidly build (or rebuild) a technologically advanced society, with abundant material supplies and useful social conventions to meet the needs of most if not all members of the population.

The institution of slavery still exists on Earth in 2017, despite centuries of attempts to wipe it out. Thus, I can easily imagine the temptation to impose slavery upon some members of a remnant population will be strong and difficult to resist. It seems to me that it would be worth echoing some of prevailing views in opposition to the use of slavery as a tool for managing human beings.

(th)
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Re: 20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum

Postby tahanson43206 » Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:21 pm

Re: 20160208 Vision Author Culture on Knowledge Forum
20170311 The element from Reference #1 for focus today is Paragraph 2 on page 10.

In this paragraph, Dr. Dartnell develops his concept of combining "pure" knowledge and practical application guidance

Begin Quotation:
...practices of scientific research and technological development ...
End Quotation.

While my interest is primarily in trying to see how the future might unfold as humans move away from the Earth, I am not unmindful of the great risk we are all facing in 2017. Our joint endeavor on Planet Earth is progressing unevenly. Today I would like to focus upon the challenge of learning when a person is an adult, whether a survivor of an apocalypse, or a survivor of a turn of the capitalist system, as is the case for millions of people in the United States today.

Following up on last week's discussion, I am persuaded that the difficulty adults seem to have learning new material suggests the importance of organizing such community elements as may be available to educate young people as deeply and as rapidly as possible. At the same time, older community members can divide responsibilities for mastering technologies they never learned in the first place among themselves, based upon apparent aptitude and expressed interest.

A successful civilization depends upon widely distributed shared knowledge and understanding of the environment in which they find themselves, and a shared set of values for how to manage themselves. A community that would organize itself from scratch, whether after a global disaster, or in preparation for starting out on the Moon or Mars, would do well to consider what elements of knowledge and practical skill they would wish to inculcate in the minds of their young people, in addition to the values they would like to develop in the culture.

The United States is still struggling after 240 years, with the legacy of the practices that were introduced by Europeans since Columbus landed in the West Indies.

A group of people trying to survive and to rebuild after a global disaster will have to contend with the legacy attitudes and beliefs of the survivors. A group of people setting out to create a new community away from Earth have an opportunity to try to establish a set of expectations that might stand up to disruptive pressures in coming centuries. The structure of the United States is being tested severely in 2017, due in part to the survival of thought patterns and beliefs that existed at the time the Nation was founded.

The struggle of various ideologies continues unabated in 2017, throughout the world. It is difficult for me to imagine such swirling thought patterns will not re-appear in recovering communities, or in new ones established elsewhere.

Perhaps the American experiment shows a way forward, but it seems to me in 2017, that there is absolutely no guarantee that the American experiment will survive the current testing, or that any other community that tries to build a culture based upon the American example will survive for long.

Perhaps only deep education of every citizen can increase chances of survival of a culture, and even that cannot guarantee success.

The only thing that seems clear (to me at least) is that the alternative would seem to guarantee failure.

(th)
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