July 2014 – Huenemanniac

July 14, 2014

The obstaclean theory of matter

Denying the existence of the material world never goes down well. No matter how clever and compelling the arguments, most of us want to insist that matter exists – and as our insistence becomes more vehement, we start pounding tables, as if that will impress our interlocutors. Read more… Continue reading

3QD essays, Metaphysical musings

July 9, 2014

Seen while biking….

I went for a long bike ride yesterday. At the start I was just rolling along, letting my mind wander, and taking in the sights: • kids selling lemonade, • a well-kept garden, • a Rat Patrol-style jeep with a gatling gun perched on top and three guys wrapping it in plastic, • an interesting older… Continue reading

This & that in the life of CH

July 7, 2014

Leibniz’s Stepped Reckoner, and a clock to last for the next 10,000 years

In 1671, in some letters exchanged with the French mathematician Pierre de Carcavy, Leibniz mentioned his plans to create a calculating machine. Apparently, he had been inspired by a pedometer, probably thinking that if machines could count, they could then calculate. Within a couple of years, he hired a craftsman build a wooden prototype of… Continue reading