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From: clipka
Subject: Random suggestion
Date: 8 Jan 2017 16:34:03
Message: <5872b04b$1@news.povray.org>
Just a random video I found on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/sMb00lz-IfE


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From: Kenneth
Subject: Re: Random suggestion
Date: 8 Jan 2017 18:25:00
Message: <web.5872c9751f080e78883fb31c0@news.povray.org>
clipka <ano### [at] anonymousorg> wrote:
> Just a random video I found on YouTube.
>
> https://youtu.be/sMb00lz-IfE

Ha!

I had to view sections of this several times, to understand what the presenters
were trying to say. My favorite part: "Free will could simply be quantum
fluctuations in our brains." Sounds about right. And the part about 'data
moshing'-- a term I hadn't heard before.

What bugs me about the video is the 'perkiness' of the presenters; seems like
scientists wants to be *actors* these days. (Michio Kaku and Neil deGrasse Tyson
come to mind as well.) But they do a good job of explaining the theories, I
admit.

It's a good primer on entropy ---something I've always had difficulty in
understanding.


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From: clipka
Subject: Re: Random suggestion
Date: 8 Jan 2017 20:08:42
Message: <5872e29a$1@news.povray.org>
Am 09.01.2017 um 00:23 schrieb Kenneth:

> What bugs me about the video is the 'perkiness' of the presenters; seems like
> scientists wants to be *actors* these days. (Michio Kaku and Neil deGrasse Tyson
> come to mind as well.) But they do a good job of explaining the theories, I
> admit.

I'd attribute that mainly to the guest, Vsauce, who has a rather unique
style.

As for contemporary scientists like Neil deGrasse Tyson, I don't see him
as trying to be an actor -- I see him as trying to inspire people. It's
difficult to capture an audience's attention for any meaningful duration
these days when you're just lecturing.

I guess Carl Sagan started this trend, and I think it's a good one as
long as it's not overdone. I think it's an important key to making
science accessible to the curious John Doe.

Also, your impression that scientists want to be actors these days is
skewed by the fact that -- obviously, I think -- scientists with this
trait are vastly overrepresented in popular media. Even on shows like
Brady Haran's YouTube channels (Periodic Videos, Sixty Symbols,
Numberphile etc.), where scientists are interviewed rather than acting
as the show's host, you probably have an overrepresentation of extrovert
scientists.


> It's a good primer on entropy ---something I've always had difficulty in
> understanding.

I also found this particularly good:

https://youtu.be/ZuvK-od647c

First time I could follow an explanation why science can rule out
"hidden variables" theories.

Again, pausing, rewinding and viewing a second time helps.


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From: Mike Horvath
Subject: Re: Random suggestion
Date: 9 Jan 2017 17:26:40
Message: <58740e20@news.povray.org>
On 1/8/2017 4:34 PM, clipka wrote:
> Just a random video I found on YouTube.
>
> https://youtu.be/sMb00lz-IfE
>

The kitty was great. I rate the video 10/10.


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From: clipka
Subject: Re: Random suggestion
Date: 9 Jan 2017 18:03:18
Message: <587416b6@news.povray.org>
Am 09.01.2017 um 23:26 schrieb Mike Horvath:
> On 1/8/2017 4:34 PM, clipka wrote:
>> Just a random video I found on YouTube.
>>
>> https://youtu.be/sMb00lz-IfE
>>
> 
> The kitty was great. I rate the video 10/10.

No video about randomness is complete without a feline.


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From: Kevin Wampler
Subject: Re: Random suggestion
Date: 10 Jan 2017 14:17:47
Message: <5875335b$1@news.povray.org>
Ha! Love the post title.

Hmmm, I am by no means anything of an expert on this, but some of the 
points in that video seem either wrong or poorly described.

The main issue I think is that randomness or entropy are not properties 
of a single chunk of data or matter, but apply only to probability 
distributions of data/matter.  If you don't have a probability 
distribution, the appropriate concept is complexity (or 
compressibility), which is related but not the same.  The video tries so 
hard to confuse these concepts it almost appears intentional.

I think this confusion is behind some strange claims in the video.  For 
instance:

	claim: If information is constant, then since information is entropy, 
entropy must be constant, which we know is false from the second law of 
thermodynamics.

Contrary to the video's claims, as far as I'm aware the information in 
the universe is actually believed to be constant, despite the second law 
of thermodynamics.  This is ok, since the second law of thermodynamics 
is really about probability distributions of those states the universe 
might have given our limited observations, but the information content 
is about the state of the entire universe (independent of our 
observations).  So they're really two different things and there's no 
conflict.

In fairness, the speculation at end about quantum mechanics is at least 
semi-reasonable, as it makes it more sensible to really talk about the 
probability distribution of the universe.  Unfortunately I *think* 
wavefunction collapse (presuming as the video does that it exists) would 
actually decrease the quantum-mechanical (i.e. von Neumann) entropy as 
opposed to increase it as the video claims.  I'm a bit out of my depth 
with this though.

All in all, interesting and fun, but I'd caution against trusting it 
much (unless I'm totally wrong here myself, which is certainly possible).


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From: Stephen
Subject: Re: Random suggestion
Date: 10 Jan 2017 14:23:21
Message: <587534a9$1@news.povray.org>
On 1/10/2017 7:17 PM, Kevin Wampler wrote:
> All in all, interesting and fun, but I'd caution against trusting it
> much (unless I'm totally wrong here myself, which is certainly possible).

I would not buy anything from men that smiled with so many teeth.

-- 

Regards
     Stephen


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From: Kevin Wampler
Subject: Re: Random suggestion
Date: 10 Jan 2017 14:33:09
Message: <587536f5@news.povray.org>
On 1/10/2017 11:17 AM, Kevin Wampler wrote:
>
> Unfortunately I *think*
> wavefunction collapse (presuming as the video does that it exists) would
> actually decrease the quantum-mechanical (i.e. von Neumann) entropy as
> opposed to increase it as the video claims.
>

After a bit more research it appears that I was totally wrong in my 
understanding of what a "measurement" means in terms of the quantum 
density matrix.  As you can read here 
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Density_matrix#Entropy), wave function 
collapse can only increase von Neumann entropy (which is good and makes 
sense now that I better understand it).  You'll also note that the same 
link mentions that a measurement *decreases* quantum information, 
contrary to the videos claims as to their equivalence.  I don't pretend 
to have a good understanding of this though, and will refrain from 
further speculation since I feel I'm as likely to be wrong as correct.


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From: Kevin Wampler
Subject: Re: Random suggestion
Date: 10 Jan 2017 14:34:47
Message: <58753757$1@news.povray.org>
On 1/10/2017 11:23 AM, Stephen wrote:
> On 1/10/2017 7:17 PM, Kevin Wampler wrote:
>> All in all, interesting and fun, but I'd caution against trusting it
>> much (unless I'm totally wrong here myself, which is certainly possible).
>
> I would not buy anything from men that smiled with so many teeth.
>

Huh, now that you mention it, it does feel a little like a car salesman 
is trying to get be to buy some science.

I vaguely recall seeing some of this guy's other videos that I liked 
though, so I dunno, maybe he's ok overall.


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From: Stephen
Subject: Re: Random suggestion
Date: 10 Jan 2017 14:48:17
Message: <58753a81$1@news.povray.org>
On 1/10/2017 7:34 PM, Kevin Wampler wrote:
> On 1/10/2017 11:23 AM, Stephen wrote:
>> On 1/10/2017 7:17 PM, Kevin Wampler wrote:
>>> All in all, interesting and fun, but I'd caution against trusting it
>>> much (unless I'm totally wrong here myself, which is certainly
>>> possible).
>>
>> I would not buy anything from men that smiled with so many teeth.
>>
>
> Huh, now that you mention it, it does feel a little like a car salesman
> is trying to get be to buy some science.
>

You probably see so many of them that you don't notice them.

> I vaguely recall seeing some of this guy's other videos that I liked
> though, so I dunno, maybe he's ok overall.

Yes, I have too. They are just over doing the acting a bit. And his very 
expensive teeth. ;-)

-- 

Regards
     Stephen


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