John Wheeler 'It from Bit'

Here's an interesting article that I happened upon: John Wheeler and the "It from Bit"

Wheeler was one of the first prominent physicists to propose that reality
might not be wholly physical; in some sense, our cosmos might be a
participatory phenomenon, requiring the act of observation--and thus
consciousness itself. 

The influence of science fiction films

Some of my favorite science fiction has had a profound influence on my esoteric or philosophical modes of thinking by introducing me to subject matter which was inspirational to the films.  For example, it was through the Matrix that I started reading Baudrillard.  Now, through the line in Tron Legacy where Flynn says "Chaos, good news", I've found the writings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.  In this, The Lion's Roar is the inspiration for the dialogue.  The line itself was inserted by Jeff Bridges according to this Interview with director Joseph Kosinski.

Advice. Make of this what you will.

I gave some advice the other day that I want to share: "Always strive to be the best that you can be in whatever universe you find yourself in."

The Divided Brain

I find this interesting:
RSA Animate - The Divided Brain

The Information

I'm currently reading The Information by James Gleick.  I've previously enjoyed his books Chaos and Faster, and this is another great one.  I'm currently in the material about Claude Shannon, who has long been one of my favorite mathematicians (yes, I have favorite mathematicians.) In the process of reading more about Vannevar Bush, who was Shannon's academic adviser, and about whom I know pitifully little, I discovered his concept of the Memex.  I was unaware that he had essentially theorized the hyperlink.  I am pleased that I have learned this, and pained that I did not know it previously.

Outlaw neutrinos!

Researchers at CERN have found that neutrinos that might be traveling faster than the speed of light.  The article at Scientific American has a good general coverage of the discovery.  The team has opened their findings to peer review.

Musings on the Divine

Within the context of a technologically advanced culture, I propose that the ongoing concept of the godhead is a by-product of human narcissism.  By and large, we don't want to face the possibility that anything as advanced as we perceive ourselves to be could have emerged by chance in a universe that was created by a random, physical event.  Now that we have objectively measured and defined the order of things (to the extent of our capabilities and understanding), thus obviating the Raison d'etre for the gods of our ancestors, we still stubbornly cling to the idea that we were created by a divine act.  I myself, am susceptible to this effect.  I have encountered and embraced a model of the divine that I find pleasing to my sensibilities, and I experience life through the filter of this model.  Do I truly believe it to be factual?  Not really.  I will be most pleased if, upon my demise, it is proven true, but I acknowledge that it may be nothing more than a tenacious meme.  I only begrudge people their religious practices when they are imposed on others without their consent.