[HPFGU-OTChatter] Psychohistory, F.A.N.C.I.E.R.S., fractals, less drooling

[Adana Robinson]

>From: "Tabouli" <tabouli at unite.com.au>

(snip physics triumph, & anti-math rants with which I totally agree)

>As a psychologist, writer and linguist wordy-type, I challenge all you 
>mathematicians and physical scientists out there to reduce human behaviour, 
>and especially language, to applied mathematics!

>Tabouli


Already been done--psychohistory, an invention of Isaac Asimov. :) But if 
anyone would like to prove it in the real world...

I am a devotee of words, and find all forms of math incomprehensible and 
useless; but I did find a fractal program ( www.ultrafractal.com ) which 
uses math to create beautiful art.  The best thing is that you don't have to 
know any math in order to use the program!

This is the only practical use for math I've ever found, including balancing 
the checkbook, which for some strange reason for me usually involves 
fractions and imaginary numbers.

And thanks, Tabouli, for the acronym!  Easy to remember, vaguely 
British-sounding (I'm one of those snobby Americans who think that to sound 
British is cool somehow) and includes all those burdened by any fictional 
crushes whatsoever.

Selfishly, I was thinking Aragorn/Sirius, but I'll accept membership of 
those who can't read an Amelia Peabody mystery without getting steamed up 
about Emerson; or anyone who thinks Capt. John Sheridan from Babylon 5 is 
Earth's last best hope; or even those who think that Mac from Louisa May 
Alcott's "Rose in Bloom" is the most interesting and gentlemanly character 
in kid's fiction.  Or any other fictional characters.

I'll try to get my hormones under control and stop drooling on the list (it 
gets messy on the keyboard).

I managed to see FotR again, and am beginning to understand those of you who 
have posted approvingly about Elijah Wood (he has the cutest little mouth) 
but since I've never seen him in anything else, I have this mental image of 
him as four and a half feet tall, and (especially in that scene after they 
come out of Moria, on top of the mountain) looking about 12.  Somehow it 
feels vaguely like pedophilia to think about him.

I do think the screenwriters were taking a brave step in putting Sam's 
loyalty in the book into a modern-day movie.  There were a *lot* of rude 
comments made in last night's screening (nearly empty theater on Monday 
nights, mostly idiotic teen-agers) about the sexual orientations of Frodo 
and Sam.  Modern audiences don't have the cultural framework to value the 
particular kind of loyalty and friendship portrayed there.

(End cultural idiocy rant)

Adana


_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com