ALL THINGS BIG AND SMALL 2.0

In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related genetically; independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches.  Another way of putting it: In Nature, similar problems will generate similar solutions, which are robust and optimal for the species. Whether it be shape or coloration or special features. The accompanying photos of examples of convergent evolution each have a description.   The Shark's ancestor was a fish. But the ancestors of the (now extinct) Ichthyosaur was a reptile. And the porpoise's ancestor was a land mammal. But they evolved to have fish-like shapes in order to live in the water. But still the porpoise is warm- blooded and does not breathe the way fishes do-with gills.   The East African lakes of Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi, although physically separated have similar environmental conditions. So you see that some spe...

Common quotes of FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE- the philosopher who may have spawned Nazism, Fascism and Anti-Semitism that you may recognize.. " Without music, Life would be a mistake." " That which does not kill make us stronger." "God is dead" " Love is blind." " Woman was God's second mistake." On Democracy: " the counting of noses." On the English people and their Mercantilism " Shopkeepers, women, cows, Christians, and democrats belong together." Nietzsche's philosophy has had a profound influence on Western philosophy in being an antithesis to the philosophy of rationalism and logic of Kant and Hegel who came before him, and a refinement of the romantic pessimism of Schopenhauer. He was not only a thinker but also a poet (the epic "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"), and a composer of music. Even if you have never read Nietzsche you may recognize some of his famous quotes above: The cont...

As Singapore faces a possible economic technical recession, many are hoping that the government will unleash a slew of measures that will stimulate the economy, and hopefully keep it from falling into a recession. But like medicine, economic stimuli only treat the symptoms and effect a temporary cure. Also, like medicine, economic stimuli (especially of the loose monetary policy kind) will have side-effects. China's bold economic stimulus in 2008 is an example of what can happen with loose monetary easing, which the Americans euphemistically call 'quantitative easing'.  In 2008, the world faced a financial crisis as the fall-out from the US sub-prime mortgage crisis caused a liquidity crunch in the global credit markets. Over the years the world, and all financial markets- debt, equities, forex, commodities- had become increasingly intertwined due to the instantaneous flow of information made possible by advances in communications technology. At the onset of th...

The statistical distribution known as the Pareto Power Law is a probability distribution that manifests itself in many human economic and social phenomena, as well as many geophysical phenomena. It is characterized by a few large values and a long tail of many smaller values. Some of the phenomena with evidence of being Pareto-like are: * The size of cities and towns * Income distribution in a capitalist economic system * Returns on the stock market * Sizes of sand particles * Numbers of Species in a Genus of animals * Internet traffic and demand on servers * Earthquakes and other natural disasters. Here I plot the number of page views on my blog by country. As you can see, it follows a Pareto distribution.  This shape still exists despite the fact that I know for sure, Ukraine in 2nd place cannot be due to humans visiting my site, but Bots. And Israel looks suspicious too. The rest of the results are logical. US has the largest English Internet po...

The Lord's Prayer in Scottish I am starting to fall in love with the Scottish language.  A Scottish friend just said to me: "Lang may yer lumb reek" . At first I thought he was using vulgar language on me. But now, I know it means " Long may your chimney smoke" which is like saying " I wish you a long and healthy life". What a nice way to put it.

Teleology= function by design. The purpose of something is reflected in its design. Teleological argument for existence of a Grand Designer.That the design is so wonderful as to argue convincingly for the existence of a Grand Designer. Aposematism: Using vivid colors to warn predators of toxicity. The Rainbow Grasshopper: One of the best examples of Aposematism  and one of the most vivid examples of Teleogical evolution. Not the Bible, nor the Koran-BUT THIS leads me to the conclusion that there is a good probability that there is a Grand Designer who created our world. But this does not mean I think we should have a relationship with It. It is Man's self-vanity to think that It wants to have a relationship with us. These photos show several sub-species. Or even some that are  not Dactylotum Variegatus but equally colorful like the Leichhardt Grasshopper of Australia's Kakadu region (Black and Orange one below) or the one with horny growths at the back of its head; Phy...

Everytime we see a photo of Kim Jong-Un, there are people around him taking notes. I wish I could see what are they writing down in their little notebooks? Or perhaps surreptitiously doodling while looking earnest ? [although if caught they will be executed]. Reminds me of the ubiquitous 555 Notebooks used by horse-racing bookies, taxi drivers, shopkeepers, pimps, and other small-time businessmen in Singapore in the 1950's I think they are still s old in the shops in Little India. I think Kim should at least give all his generals and bureaucrats more presentable-looking note books for them to take down his treasured advice on his 'guidance' tours. *** Note: 555 Notebooks is (or should be) a SG50 [Singapore's 50th Anniversary 2015] heritage item.