http://tinyurl.com/3zcjk7e Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
OT: Why didn't I think of that?
Started by ●August 20, 2011
Reply by ●August 20, 20112011-08-20
On Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:53:09 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Avins <jya@ieee.org> wrote:>http://tinyurl.com/3zcjk7e > >JerryHi Jerry, That was neat. I wonder who wrote the text: "People see winter as a cold and gloomy time in nature. The days are short. Snow blankets the ground. Lakes and ponds freeze, and animals scurry to burrows to wait for spring. The rainbow of red, yellow and orange autumn leaves has been blown away by the wind turning trees into black skeletons that stretch bony fingers of branches into the sky. It seems like nature has disappeared." It seems impossible that a 7th grader could write that. "Snow blankets the ground", what 7th grader talks like that? ha ha. [-Rick-]
Reply by ●August 21, 20112011-08-21
On 20/08/2011 21:31, Rick Lyons wrote:> On Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:53:09 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Avins<jya@ieee.org> > wrote: > >> http://tinyurl.com/3zcjk7e >> >> Jerry > > Hi Jerry, > That was neat. I wonder who wrote the > text: > > "People see winter as a cold and gloomy time > in nature. The days are short. Snow blankets > the ground. Lakes and ponds freeze, and animals > scurry to burrows to wait for spring. The rainbow > of red, yellow and orange autumn leaves has been > blown away by the wind turning trees into black > skeletons that stretch bony fingers of branches > into the sky. It seems like nature has disappeared." > > It seems impossible that a 7th grader could > write that. "Snow blankets the ground", what 7th > grader talks like that? ha ha. >?? It's far from impossible. He's not talking, he is writing. Maybe he has an inspirational English teacher. They do exist. Maybe he even reads books, which itself is apparently a rare thing these XBox-obsessed days. Perhaps he has read some Dickens or Austen (note he uses "autumn" rather than "fall"). If he is in the top 5% in one area, stands to reason he might be so in another. Even if he has cut and pasted a bit, so to speak, he has done it well. Have things really got so bad that the mere idea of a literate 13-year old puts peoples backs up? Dare I say it, some of his phrases are a bit cliched ("bony fingers" etc), but from a 13-year old, I really don't care. Anything that stops them buying a gun! If kids who are really trying hard, are showing a lot of promise and talent, and stick their necks out that much, meet cynicism on this level, what possible reason do they have for carrying on? Richard Dobson
Reply by ●August 22, 20112011-08-22
>On Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:53:09 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Avins <jya@ieee.org> >wrote: > >>http://tinyurl.com/3zcjk7e >> >>Jerry > >Hi Jerry, > That was neat. I wonder who wrote the >text: > > "People see winter as a cold and gloomy time > in nature. The days are short. Snow blankets > the ground. Lakes and ponds freeze, and animals > scurry to burrows to wait for spring. The rainbow > of red, yellow and orange autumn leaves has been > blown away by the wind turning trees into black > skeletons that stretch bony fingers of branches > into the sky. It seems like nature has disappeared." > >It seems impossible that a 7th grader could >write that. "Snow blankets the ground", what 7th >grader talks like that? ha ha. > >[-Rick-]I'm not American. 7th grade means something like 12 to 14 years old, doesn't it? If so, I don't think much of your statistical analysis of 7th graders. When I was that age, anyone paying attention in English lit. classes could write like that, if they were trying to look very grand in a published article. Speaking like it is quite another matter. On the assumption that writing like this would show a high correlation with paying attention in English lit., the statistical likelihood of this being a 7th grader's text would be low, but far from impossible. Steve
Reply by ●August 22, 20112011-08-22
On Aug 20, 4:31�pm, Rick Lyons <R.Lyons@_BOGUS_ieee.org> wrote:> On Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:53:09 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Avins <j...@ieee.org> > wrote: > > >http://tinyurl.com/3zcjk7e > > >Jerry > > Hi Jerry, > � That was neat. �I wonder who wrote the > text: > > � "People see winter as a cold and gloomy time > � �in nature. The days are short. Snow blankets > � �the ground. Lakes and ponds freeze, and animals > � �scurry to burrows to wait for spring. The rainbow > � �of red, yellow and orange autumn leaves has been > � �blown away by the wind turning trees into black > � �skeletons that stretch bony fingers of branches > � �into the sky. It seems like nature has disappeared." > > It seems impossible that a 7th grader could > write that. "Snow blankets the ground", what 7th > grader talks like that? �ha ha.Rick, It doesn't seem impossible to me. In seventh grade, I would have avoided such language as excessively hackneyed. (I learned to appreciate it later.) My interests were more down to earth. By that age, I had made two pistols and a carbine, all rifled with tools I had made myself. I don't remember it, but I've been told that when I was nearly two, I was sitting crosslegged on the ground holding open a screen door and repeatedly twanging the closure spring. When our host came over to get me to close the door to keep the flies out of the house, I ignored her words and said with some excitement, "Listen to the vibrations!" She quietly walked away. The design of my guns was imitative. I have no doubt that the paragraph you quoted is also. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
Reply by ●August 23, 20112011-08-23
On Aug 20, 9:53�am, Jerry Avins <j...@ieee.org> wrote:> http://tinyurl.com/3zcjk7e > > Jerry > -- > Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.Interesting thought, but it relies on the notion that nature employs the most efficient methods. I know when growing fruit trees, that to increase production one actually trims out the central top core of branches to allow more light to reach the fruit bearing wood and increase fruit production. I see peach growers doing this all of the time. Clay
Reply by ●August 23, 20112011-08-23
>On Aug 20, 9:53=A0am, Jerry Avins <j...@ieee.org> wrote: >> http://tinyurl.com/3zcjk7e >> >> Jerry >> -- >> Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. > >Interesting thought, but it relies on the notion that nature employs >the most efficient methods. I know when growing fruit trees, that to >increase production one actually trims out the central top core of >branches to allow more light to reach the fruit bearing wood and >increase fruit production. I see peach growers doing this all of the >time.I don't think feeding the maximum fruit to humans is what the tree design is optimised for. Steve
Reply by ●August 23, 20112011-08-23
On Aug 21, 1:53�am, Jerry Avins <j...@ieee.org> wrote:> http://tinyurl.com/3zcjk7e > > Jerry > -- > Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.You will Jerry, you will...
Reply by ●August 23, 20112011-08-23
On Aug 23, 12:35�pm, "steveu" <steveu@n_o_s_p_a_m.coppice.org> wrote:> >On Aug 20, 9:53=A0am, Jerry Avins <j...@ieee.org> wrote: > >>http://tinyurl.com/3zcjk7e > > >> Jerry > >> -- > >> Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. > > >Interesting thought, but it relies on the notion that nature employs > >the most efficient methods. I know when growing fruit trees, that to > >increase production one actually trims out the central top core of > >branches to allow more light to reach the fruit bearing wood and > >increase fruit production. I see peach growers doing this all of the > >time. > > I don't think feeding the maximum fruit to humans is what the tree design > is optimised for. > > SteveI was referring to the kid's modeling of his solar array to be like that of plants in order to maximize received energy. Plants use a lot of their energy towards reproduction and I was just pointing out that optimal solar reception is not what nature choose for trees. Clay
Reply by ●August 23, 20112011-08-23
>On Aug 23, 12:35=A0pm, "steveu" <steveu@n_o_s_p_a_m.coppice.org> wrote: >> >On Aug 20, 9:53=3DA0am, Jerry Avins <j...@ieee.org> wrote: >> >>http://tinyurl.com/3zcjk7e >> >> >> Jerry >> >> -- >> >> Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you canget=>. >> >> >Interesting thought, but it relies on the notion that nature employs >> >the most efficient methods. I know when growing fruit trees, that to >> >increase production one actually trims out the central top core of >> >branches to allow more light to reach the fruit bearing wood and >> >increase fruit production. I see peach growers doing this all of the >> >time. >> >> I don't think feeding the maximum fruit to humans is what the treedesign>> is optimised for. >> >> Steve > >I was referring to the kid's modeling of his solar array to be like >that of plants in order to maximize received energy. Plants use a lot >of their energy towards reproduction and I was just pointing out that >optimal solar reception is not what nature choose for trees.You pointed to deficiencies in food production, not reproduction. Can you support the argument that the leaves do not support the *tree's* interests in a near optimal way? Cutting out wood to get light to places that optimise fruit production may or may not be of maximal benefit to the tree. As far as I know, for hardwood production, where maximising tree growth is basically the goal, branch trimming is only about minimising knots and other scaring of the wood. Steve
