An addition to my Socio-cultural and Identity essay...

I have just read Mark Ward's book Universality, 2001. It is a great book, the title of which does not purport to encompass everything, merely that within certain complex systems this feature of universal connectedness emerges, extending to the system as a whole.  It is a feature that can give rise to chaos if too much input is fed into the system and one that can dissipate, along with it's potentials, if input is decreased.  It is apparent in the myriad of fractal patterns and beats that nature has discovered in order to reach complexity from the greatest simplicity. It shows how we as a species may have benefited from evolving to the edge of order, reaping the emergent benefits of collective intelligence, a historical dialectic of push and pull, power and curiosity, maintaining the complex system of cultural evolution as the safety net of communication infrastructure drove spikes of recorded, cumulative knowledge into the high-water marks of the historical swash.

This book came at a good time for me.  Since the death of Mandelbrot last week, I have been pondering fractals often, sure that they, along with other phenomena such as chaos and synchronicity, were fundamental to the very fabric of reality.  Not simply on an arbitrary scale such as the planck length of the diameter of the universe, but on all scales at once, a Metaphysical Theory of Everything.  This book is a call to arms not just to the scientific community but also a clarion call for arm-chair philosophers like me.  It gives motivation in the thought that the academic world, though filled with great minds, is driven to speciality and expertise in narrow fields.  Universality shows that in studying small pieces of the canvas, many people are unable to see the big picture staring them in the face.  The Internet is driving like-minded individuals in all disciplines to act on the very simple premise that maximised communication, larger conceptual data-sets, are the key to success. Whilst they are still realising that, you and I are free to use this wonderful invention to wallow in a multitude of specialities, see connections the experts cannot; all from the comfort of your sitting room, or on a bus, or walking in the countryside. It really is an exciting time, this whole new digital generation soon to be snapping at the heals of the established ways.

But I digress. The reason that it can help explain, at least philosophically for the time being, reality at any scale is because complex systems exist at all scales and complex systems share the same emergent characteristics.  By focusing on this emergent dynamic, instead of the particulars of any one scale, we can gain a very complete picture of the forces directing us both as individuals, as societies and as a tiny speck of dust in the cosmic carpet.  It is part and parcel of coming to understand ourselves as human beings, as Hegel said.  Many of the worlds ills: organised religion, fundamentalism, nationalism, racism, all sorts of 'isms', they all share  what seems to be a group-think inspired gross ignorance of their own flaws or how humans actually function.  It is apparent every time some Republican tells us that bombing them is the only way to stop them bombing us.

Wildly speculating, it's fun to think way outside the box, but what if the universe inflated fractally? What a beautiful sight that would be if one could slow it right down and sit back.  Why not?  It sure is a mightily complex system and if you care to extend the scales up from the smallest found (and it goes down pretty far, check out this: Fractals and golden ratio found at the quantum level), signs of self-similarity go up a long way. What if we kept going? How about theories of sprouting universes, perhaps they branch of in fractal patterns?

Power Balance Holographic Bracelet.. or An Expensive Con For Gullible Idiots

So I was in a sports shop the other day getting some brake pads for my bike when on the counter I noticed Power Bracelets!

Sounding like some add-on in an RPG for leveling up balance, they are priced at a highly reasonable £29.99.  Reasonable for the manufacturers and retailers that is, since so far as I can tell it consisted of a plastic band with a holographic sticker on it.  Unfortunately, that was as much as I could ascertain about this product, since it didn't even see fit to even attempt to explain how it might work on the packaging.  That really takes the biscuit: How hard is it to come up with some good quality mumbo-jumbo these days?  No, all this relied upon was argument from authority, displayed here as a fallacy in all its glory.

I struck up a conversation with the guy behind the till, asking how they worked and marveling at the price.  He didn't have a clue how they worked, merely that Beckham had one (he doesn't, but a host of other athletes do).  When I said it had the stench of pseudo-scientific nonsense about it along the lines of magnets and the like, he lowered his voice and said, "well, between you and me I think they are just a load of bollocks".

"So why do you sell it?", I replied...

"Why do you think?", rubbing thumb and forefinger together...

Oh Dear.  I can barely imagine what sort of mark up retailers are invited to take on this product.  Unless I'm very much mistaken and there actually is a highly complex, state-of-the-art holographically-powered balance machine in each bracelet, they must consist of 5p worth of plastic and a sticker.  Even if they charge retailers just 20% RRP, they are still making a killing!

So, to their website.  It's a glitzy affair, with promises of national websites all over the world (how depressing), though only the U.S. site is open at the moment (how surprising).  Numerous athletes have been paid to lie (or else are just as dumb as any other schmuck and have been convinced by their agent, also paid, that these things actually work) and claim that these really help with just about every aspect of sport and everyday life, as opposed to the years of dedicated practice and commitment to their sport.

At least they bother to hint at how it works, though the lack of imagination is astounding in this day and age:

What is Power Balance?

'Power Balance is Performance Technology designed to work with your body’s natural energy field. Founded by athletes, Power Balance is a favorite among elite athletes for whom balance, strength and flexibility are important.'

How Does the Hologram Work?

'Holography (from the Greek, ὅλος hólos whole + γραφή grafē writing, drawing) is a technique that allows the light scattered from an object to be recorded and later reconstructed so that it appears as if the object is in the same position relative to the recording medium as it was when recorded.'  OK, I admit that was from wikipedia... this is what they actually say...

'Power Balance is based on the idea of optimizing the body’s natural energy flow, similar to concepts behind many Eastern philosophies. The hologram in Power Balance is designed to resonate with and respond to the natural energy field of the body.'

Ah, Eastern Philosophies, those age old sages of holographic technology.  I'll give them 8/10 for ambiguity, but it's gotta be 1/10 for originality.  Sorry guys.

They've been a bit more clever when it comes to the testimonials.  Here's a selection of some of the best/worst quotes...

Pri Lima, Beach Volleyball:

"This product will raise your game and make a difference in how you feel. I mean there has got to be some reason almost every player on tour is wearing it now…"  Perhaps they have the same agents?

Ekolu Kalama, Stand-up Paddleboard

"I started using Power Balance after I saw my wife have the best sesh of her life with the stickers on her board, she sold me! Since then I use PB every time im in the water. Also, in stand up paddle boarding you use the paddle as a means to maintain stability and Power Balance is just another tool to keep your balance."   See! It's no different from using my paddles to keep balanced!  Doh!

Andrew Ference, Hockey

"The best way I can describe the difference is that I feel more grounded and in control of what my body is doing. I have shared the product with my team and it is now in most guy's skates and shoulder pads..."  I wonder if Power Balance were good enough to offer them for free?  Shill!

Shaquille O'Neal, Basketball

I want to do everything to get the slightest advantage; wristbands, necklaces, t-shirts, band-aids, everything and anything we can get our hands on. I’m here to tell you it works!”  Because nonsense isn't limited to just bracelets and necklaces!  Just get one tattooed on your forehead so we can all have a laugh.

Peter Smolik, Skateboarder

"Power Balance is the realest device in the industry right now."  Especially with people who say 'realest'

Oh man, that's low.  I just noticed the 'cause' page... special bracelets which see money fromt he purchase donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.  Urgh.  You little, squirming, ingratiating, sneeky arseholes.  What better way to say "we're not conmen!" than raising funds for cancer?

Part of me thinks that if people are so easily fooled out of £30 then fuck 'em... the other part of me riles at people getting rich in this way when the rest of us have to struggle.  How is such bollocks legal to do?  Bloody extremist cultural relativism that's how.  Can't slag of someones Eastern Philosophies now can we?!  I love Eastern philosophy and I can assure you that they never spoke of the sport enhancing qualities of holographic bracelets.

The consumer protection website Choice has this to say about Power Balance bracelets:

CHOICE verdict

CHOICE is all for the power of positive thinking, but we can’t find much positive to say about Power Balance. It has no discernable effect on flexibility and balance. Any benefit you feel while wearing it is almost certainly due to a placebo effect. So, zero stars for the Power Balance. If the products were cheap, we could at least call them a harmless bit of nonsense, but at $60 for the wristband and $95 for the pendant they’re far too overpriced to laugh off.

Next step: record some check-out people slagging them off and posting them on youtube.  There is something rather convincing in this consumerist world of someone who should be selling you something doing the complete opposite.  If anyone else fancies joining me, please link to this blog from sports forums and the like!

Also, many sports stars have twitter pages so lets target them publicly there!  Check out my twitter @grimeandreason for some I've already found and give em a guilt trip from hell!

Athletes on twitter supporting the Power Balance scam:

Rubens Barrichello: @rubarrichello - Particularly dissapointed in this one given the reliance on science of Formula 1.  Would have thought he would know better than that.
Casey Patterson: @caseypatt
Matthew Stafford: @matt_stafford9
Lamar Odom: @RealLamarOdom

A homage to our departed enlightener, Mr Mandelbrot

I still remember when I first read about fractal mathematics.  The sheer wonder of it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.  I have a profound feeling that even now, many years after this image entranced people who understood its significance, it has yet to fulfill what it is destined to one day achieve: reach a critical mass of understanding that will become an immensely powerful conceptual weapon. 

You see, the picture above may well illustrate a fundamental truth that humanity has yet to fully grasp.  That struggle is symbolised by many of the arguments that sceptics encounter, arguments that maintain a refusal to see life, the universe and everything in anything but lofty, 'un-knowable' concepts.  Be it doctrine or simply uneducated 'common-sense', we humans seem to find it difficult to imagine how such a complex and 'miraculous' thing as life, or the universe, could possibly come about "by chance".  Perhaps it is the relic of religions hold on our language that it is hard to describe such wonders without recourse to misleading connotations?  Maybe it is merely a limitation of our evolution that we have not developed the necessary capabilities to see beyond what our environment has decried as 'need-to-know'?  Either way, through the combined efforts of un-indoctrinated minds or freaks-of-nature, we now have at our disposal the cumulative insights necessary to really start conceiving the impossible.

This picture represents such an insight.  This picture is generated by the simple equation Z = Z² +  C.  All one has to do is repeat the equation over and over, using the answer each time as the starting point for the next iteration.  And yet this picture is infinitely complex, generating complex pattern after pattern the further you zoom in.  How can this be so? 

It goes against all intuition that complexity can come from simplicity.  And yet we now see that it is common throughout nature.  This is surely the most exciting and significant philosophical discovery of the 20th century, if not of all time.  As a concept, it beautifully and utterly destroys the need for a creator of any sort and yet, more than that, it also probes deep into the question of Free Will and determinism.

You see, complexity theory, together with chaos theory, tells us that with any reiterative process (as cause and effect surely is), time is all that is needed for complex structures to form unpredictably.  You would have to know the exact position and velocity of every known particle (which quantum theory says is impossible anyhow) down to an infinite degree of accuracy in order to predict far into the future, clearly impossible.  On a smaller scale, it means that by viewing ourselves as agents in a complex system, we can have faith that even though free will in the strict sense is an illusion, our destiny is not manifest or pre-ordained.  This knowledge in and of itself is extremely valuable, since though it tells us our will is but a small cog shaped by iterative processes involving other cogs, it still comes under own own individual jurisdiction if you will.  We have responsibility, through our awareness of our own part in shaping others and our ability of empathy and foresight, to shape how we effect the future as best we can.

Mandelbrot's discovery of this concept of complexity from simplicity has contributed to giving me vast peace of mind, as it has many others.  His contribution to the world will only grow as more people come to realise its significance.

Update regarding Norwich Skeptics in the Pub

To Sarah and Toddy who replied to my previous post, and to anyone else out there who is interested in joining this soon to be inaugurated group, I encourage you to join the NorwichSkeptics group on Facebook.  Not mine, I hasten to add... turns out someone else had the same idea at the same time!

Lets start a Norwich 'Skeptics in the Pub'!

I'm moving on back to my home town Norwich in a couple of months and I'm really keen on the idea of starting up a skeptics in the pub group for monthly, maybe bi-weekly, meet-ups in a selection of Norwich's finest ale-baring free-houses.

I'm totally open to any ideas regarding format, feel free to share any ideas below the line.  I thought it might be fun to adopt a similar format to Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast from the New England Skeptical Society: sharing news and interesting stuff, maybe get occasional guest-speakers, a bit of science-or-fiction...

If you are interested in science and the skeptical community, or simply want to broaden your knowledge and meet interesting people, let me know in the comments.

A reply from our government re. West Papua...

Scroll down to see my original letter.

                                                                            South East Asia Pacific Team
                                                                            King Charles Street
                                                                            London
                                                                            SW1A 2AH
                                                                            Tel: 0207 008 2443
                                                                            Fax: 0207 008 2766
Mr Ben King                                                       www.fco.gov.uk
By email: Grimeandreason@gmail.com
Ref: 7328-10
19 July 2010

Dear Mr King,

Thank you for your email of 27 June about West Papua. I am replying as a member
of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s South East Asia Pacific Group
responsible for relations with Indonesia.

The policy of successive governments to support the territorial integrity of Indonesia
and reject claims for independence for the provinces of Papua and West Papua
remains unchanged.

The Indonesian authorities are aware of public and parliamentary concerns at the
human rights situation in the Papuan provinces. Promoting respect for human rights
and good governance as part of Indonesia’s reform process is central to our policies
towards Indonesia. In a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June 2010, our
Ambassador in Jakarta, Martin Hatfull, highlighted the need for greater openness
and access to both provinces by NGOs, journalists and diplomats to enable accurate
reporting of events. This message was also delivered by the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office’s Asia Pacific Director when the Indonesian Ambassador
called on him at the Foreign Office on 20 May 2010.

Reports of an increase in violence are concerning and we encourage all sides to
engage in meaningful dialogue and discuss possible solutions to their differences
which are acceptable to all parties as the best way to resolve the on-going conflict.
We welcome the launch of an EU - Indonesia human rights dialogue. The first
dialogue was held on 29 June in Jakarta. This is a positive step forward and
included constructive discussion on a number of areas including rights of women,
children and prisoners, the death penalty and freedom of religion.

We will continue to monitor the situation, raise concerns at both official and
ministerial level, encourage the Indonesian authorities to address these concerns,
and advocate meaningful devolution, appropriate security measures and greater
transparency in Papua.

Yours sincerely

Natalie Atmore
Indonesia Desk
South East Asia Pacific Group

Well, at least it isn't patronising historical revisionism like it was with Meg Munn and the Labour regime.  Yet it's still all bullshit isn't it?  I mean, anyone could have predicted this letters content, just as you can predict a politicians answers to the media... why is that?  I mean, are these people not experts in their fields?  Is it too much that we might learn something new in addressing them?  Of course not.  

The important part missing from this reply is that which deals with the bigger picture, that of morality and philosophy.  No hint of an admission, no hint of regret or even recognition of OUR role in the debacle.  Do they believe it is enough to say, "well, those were past governments, nothing to do with us!"?  Because they are the only ones thinking like that.  To people all over the world, every successive western government that refuses to acknowledge it's immoral actions is another government simply not wanting to appear hypocritical when it comes to their turn at the helm of neo-liberalism.

A sociocultural evolutionary view of the Wests generational divide...

The United States of America is in entirely unique and unprecendented waters.  When the baby boomers largely gave up trying to save humanity from itself, they embarked upon creating possibly the most subtle and insiduous empire the world has ever known.  Not that they would see it that way.  To them, they are proud representatives for the heady ideals of freedom and liberty... it's written in black and white.  As with previous 'imagined identities' (and I use the term as described by Benedict Anderson) that were fortunate enough to harness the legitimising power of ink, they have become fundamental truths from which a homogenous, self-referential identity has been created.

Herein lies the crux of the deception.  Western notions of the self as derived from Christianity have, for millenia, bought into and expanded upon the illusion of the existence of the soul.  It omits from popular conscience the very real consequences of identity forming through passive consumption, today moulded by the 'official' narrative portrayed in mainstream media.  The creation of top-down religious or national identity has been a constant throughout human civilisation, maintained through the monopoly of communication technology (be it literacy or cost/access of production).

It was this world that the baby boomers fought, lost and joined.  It was this world that they took to whole new levels of sophistication.  Through the IMF and private corporations the U.S. has created a financial empire that subjugates by proxy, thus keeping from view the unpleasent truths and protecting the vertically imposed identity from mass cognitive-dissonance.  Those that were aware had nowhere to turn, except to local peer groups, utterly disenfrachised from the deluded masses and drowning in the percieved contradictions of words and actions.

Thus was born Generation X.  Devoid of any communication infrastructure able to compete with national media, the disparate, outnumbered and enlightened youths had no way to construct a lasting shared identity.  As outsiders to the mainstream, they were easily ridiculed and dismissed by a public spoon-fed ample ammunition from up on high.  Unfortunately grunge alone, as one of the few national manifestations of the growing cynical apathy, does not make for radical social change.  Communication technology, from the alphabet to the smart phone, is what makes for radical change. Always has, always will.

Now that time has come again, and those few remaining generation X'ers who still hold embers in their hearts are finding themselves stoked and renewed by the emergence of their succesors: Generation Vex.

Every revolution in human history will be seen as mere quantitative differences, baby-steps on the road to universal recognition of equality.  The Internet revolution is the start of something different.  Until now, every imagined community in history has been the result of top-down, few-to-many identity creation - Religion, State and Commerce.  Now, for the first time ever, we have the opportunity to bypass the official narrative and form our own imagined identities without geographical or cultural borders.  We can, if we only realise it, challenge and stand up to state and capitalist injustice and expose the hypocrisies and immorality of the inherent prejudices therein (just as happened with religion during the 'enlightenment').

The monopoly enjoyed by individualised corporate greed through its subversion and assimilation of the state's authority is broken.  The resulting democratisation of our identities is creating cognitive dissonance at unseen levels.  This new generations ability to go viral, to maintain imagined communities of even greater scope than their ignorant 'superiors', gives them an outlet to antagonise and harry the establishment in ways never imagined.  This is Generation Vex, and they are beyond being patronized.