On being a novice

 There’s this feeling or knowledge that I am a novice.  Such a novice, in this age, in this day, in this moment.  I am rather sure there’s not a way around it.  Sure there are moments, perhaps of grace when I feel the sense of expertise at some process.

The sense of expertise is fleeting and back comes the opposite sense.

And the feeling/knowledge of being a novice is being aware of my human nature, and the human condition. It is exciting and anxious, fun and dreadful, depending on the nature of the newness, and the strength of my imagination set in the firmament of my faith.

There is the past. And given the past, perhaps I could be less a novice and more an expert. However, the moment breaks new today, and while the past informs it doesn’t dictate exactly a path.  And even if it did it might not be taken, because I am a novice.

There are paths, roads and rivers.  Some of these created by me, some by others, and some by the effort of me and others. Hand in hand, stone by stone, step by step I and we progressing on.  Each of us appreciating the novice in the other,  the moments of graceful expertise, and all the other points between those extremes.

Breath for another step, faith to catch me when I stumble on a stone. I am still learning as long as I breath.

On Rust expressions and statements

 Compared to C and Ruby there is a fundamental difference in the way Rust treats statements and expressions.

Statements do not return a value.  

Expressions return values.

Rust is expression heavy, statement light. Yet from a control aspect…statements are primarily used to create a boundary  and proscribe orderliness of expressions.  It can be a tangle.

Guide to Rust reader.  Remember statements end with semicolons.

Semicolon ending code fragbits are statements.  Yes, expression statements, one of  three statements, yes it ends in semicolons too.  Yet, if your expression statement is just expressions, when ending the block with cruscteans curly bracket claws can skip the semicolon, but that way requires the result type is ().

The other two statements, which are declaration statements , are let statements and item statements and they require semicolons regardless.

Non-semicolon ending code are expressions, generally, see the expression statement bit above and take it for what it is, confusingly crazy to reading Rust and parsing the world as statements and expressions as an easy first pass.  

But there is a joy to in delving into the mystery of logic writ by others.  Especially when we know how much trouble a programmer ( and the body of code of such programmers) can easily fall into with a language like C.  C is a form of beauty. I feel fear in writing C. And what ever comfort level with C, Rust is a languages which codes more safely. I feel less anxious coding in Rust. And what ever code I might produce for use.

Still many more things to learn about a Rust…

For addition information see https://doc.rust-lang.org/reference/statements-and-expressions.html

On school resources

 First, a while back I was surprised to hear that schools pay police as school resource officers. Seriously, I thought it a cruel joke.  On somber reflection, it sounds right for some situations as a community can determine for themselves. Still it is a sad set of affairs and not one we should come to expect.

I do think in the face of  a global pandemic we should afford resources for providing school health resource officers.  Yeah - bring back nurses in schools. 

If we want to prevent additional suffering and lost of lives  in this pandemic, we can do that with school health resource officers in schools.  There are a list of important duties this role would hold. For one follow the history of the polio pandemic in America and the part that schools played in reducing the paralysis of polio.  And the role they can play in making sure students have other vaccinations.  And the thousand other smaller things nurses do like check temps, calling for help when needed, conducting eyesight test, etc.  

On change across time

 First, an environment with two alleles in competition, one at 10 percent, the other at 90 percent will swap  relative percentages if the population having 10 percent increases its efficiency by 10 percent per generation.[1] Now the relative speed of change between populations in a system of systems depends on the time span of the generation. 

Generation upon generation, the overlap of one cycle in another has rate with relative change to a common time base.  For example, consider the days of a week, the weeks in a year, the seasons in a year, and the rate of change for two populations, where the population having 10 percent is spawning a new generation every day versus every year. 

Thomas J Watson Sr  said: To increase your number of successes you have to increase your failure rate.”   Thought another way: to increase your success rate then decrease your failure number.  To increase your success rate pay attention to the individual failures, and celebrate the successes!

1. Wilson, E. O., & Kaspari, D. C. (2019). Genesis: The deep origin of societies. Pp 44 - 47.

On exhilaration

 First, the complete unknown of the situation was exhilarating in ways I later came to appreciate. I came to a point where the day was the day, and yes it was new and yes there were different choices available. Yes, mistakes may occur.  It came on a moment when I reasoned about forfeiting to not now. It came on a moment when faith in the future was fanciful. And it abided at the edges of many starts and even some finish lines.

It caught me at the most when I tried to trap it. I felt the wildest wilderness when I came just to watch it as what it was.

The exhilaration was sustaining, as much as what some might call anxiety. If the anxiety about the universe can vibrate in a moment, then why not exhilaration?

On is it

 First, the question “Is it?” is a question of existence. The form of the question may follow  the lead of other important questioning forms, as in “How is it?”or “When is it?”.

There is a familiarity to it, unless a question of “What is it?” is asked. There is a familiarity to it in time unless a question of “When is it?” Is asked.  Or maybe a “How is it?” if one is surprised by the appearance of it, or simply interested in it. 

On ideas

 First, ideas are a fundamental part of community creation, stasis, recreation. A lack of ideas or ideas of a type that limit other ideas can be fundamental to a community too.  Ideas are processes. Processes have outcomes. Processes are not places, but periods of time.

 In some cases:Ideas lead to actions that support those ideas - ideas about the importance of teaching and learning lead to acts of teaching and learning.  In other cases: Ideas lead to actions that discount the importance of other ideas - ideas about the importance of teaching and learning do not support the idea that stupidity is a survival strategy worth pursing.

Some ideas can be self-reinforcing: the idea of learning begets the eternal light of ideas.

What, who, why, when, how and is it?

On new furniture

 First, I am still getting use to the new furniture.  It does take time. 

Sitting feels different.  The seat cushion is firm. It does give in time to gravity. The depth of the seat requires a pillow at the back, perhaps out of habit.  The pillows are plump, perhaps too.

The lines are modern, and reminds me of a couch from a time when I was younger. The arms are boxy.

 The cushions might do best with a regular rotation. The larger couch will tend to a middle cushion that doesn’t have the same use, thus the rotation. 

On being meek

 First, there are moments I am struck by the reality of my existence. I hope you are too.  It is your existence and you deserve the right to be moved by the reality of it.  And if so moved by that experience to express yourself, then please feel no hesitation. 

And if moved by that experience to keep very quiet, well, you may very will be meek.

And they say that meek will keep the kingdom to come.  

On freedom of speech

 First, the spoken mind is not a dangerous thing. It may not be your joy, it may be jarring to your mind,  It is not a dangerous thing. 

A dangerous thing is tearing down a walk between points because to take that walk would leave you at a  disadvantage.

The silent mind is not a dangerous thing, unless a spoke less mind supports a blind advantage.  Beware especially if a silent mind supports a known disadvantage.  

On summer birds

 First, what a sound of birds in the air.  Both the jet and the trill from the bird’s bill.  What a sound on the railroad tracks, then the gull’s arc-arc.

A soft rebuilding of whistles made from long lasting notes, then the helicopter raises the pitch even higher  to keep the pulse alive.

The crow’s craw is close, then echoed further from.

A message you are headed home.

On schismogenesis

 First, it is the pulse between poles that signals some movement, perhaps toward stability.  Without the pulse, there is only a single signal. Is the single signal the manifest of one pole still existing, or neither?  How can you tell?  And if it is one or the other, what then?

The pulse a wave tumbling toward a natural history.

The pole a point in time, labeled.

On hill climbing

 First, we do climb hills as a species.  There is a striving to climbing the obstacle. Be careful in the obstacle you pick.  And don’t pick your obstacle based on the tool you have.

Lacking obstacles? Obstacles can find you on the way to other hills.  You might not pick them.  Your situation might pick them for you.

Lacking tools?  An advisor told me ,”The tool will come to you when the obstacle is being climbed.”

If I take the tool and look for an obstacle for the tool then I have promoted tools over hill climbing.  Some do.  Boundaries are important.  So yes, speak about the tool’s purpose.

Tools have there place, indeed. Pilgrims progress on the use of them. Today’s life progresses on the use of them.  

But instead of spreadsheets, the hymn of the republic rings across the hills in my mind.

On Born in America

 First, for reference https://www.npr.org/2019/03/26/706566556/bruce-springsteen-born-in-the-usa-american-anthem 

We serve better our ideals when we label what is right and wrong, even knowing we could be wrong in what we think is right is wrong. Moreover, it includes more than just right and wrong labels, which we sadly have taken to bludgeoning any attempt to meaningful discussion.  It includes a pattern that permits and indeed encourages a discussion of the labels.  

Democracy is that pattern. It survives with an insubordinate (but kind) curiosity of what, why, when, how, and where of a people. Oh sweet love of mine.  Learning to learn what works.  Learning to learn what doesn’t. It survives on respect for what each of us offer to that learning.  It survives on recognition  for what the learner gave, got, or was given, in a learning to learn project that celebrates a Birthday today.

Happy Fourth!  

On place and time

 First, there was the need to receive some information which would assist in making a decision. The information had a place and a time, or so it was said. It is a place that has these labels, it is a time that reveals in the natural course from pattern to pattern.  Labels to places, as pattern to time. 

On waiting till someone is in the room

 First,

Person 1: Do want to hear a crazy idea? 

Person2: Yeah. But wait till mom is in the room.  Otherwise you’ll need to repeat yourself. 

On are we going in the right direction

 First, I wasn’t sure if I could say for sure I had heard correctly.  I recall -

Person 1: Are we headed in the right direction?

Person 2: I think so (slight pause),  we weren’t given any option..

Person 1: Yeah there was just this one path

The sound of the conversation rising and falling as the walkers neared then passed me.

A thought, an expression of questioning, which was such a pleasure to hear. The sign of a healthy habit of questioning.  Yes, a soft chuckle at the notion, (why ask if there was really one path), and a thunderous thankfulness for the thought.  People thinking about the path they are on. People asking questions about the path they are on.  People responding to the question.

This banter of friends was heard at Minute Man National Historical Park. The freedom of speech we have in this nation is the envy of many, and the curse of some. Because we have the freedom to question and the freedom to answer. 

The light, then the thunder of liberty’s bell.  Ask questions, provide answers, repeat as needed.

On maintaining

 First, it might not have been the very first time, but I recall this time better than the past. Or perhaps I understood what my universe meant to the doctor at that time. “You’re maintaining.”, the doctor says.

Maintaining is what you are when your doctor says so.  I am not complaining, I am maintaining. What a joy!

Maintaining is what you are when your choices are risk adjusted in the face of present knowledge and modeling. Present knowledge can be divisive, the modeling too. One group can know one thing to be and another group a different one. The maintenance of state to permit a common good can look rosy or bleak. 

When I was a younger man there was cosmetic dentistry now there is legacy dentistry.  At least I still got some dentistry in my life! 

On this now

 First, on this now, let me remember the past and what I do not need to do. Smile at the thought what were my burdens already are past. And yet remember the ones I still gladly have. This small wonder, as a hummingbird is at the flower. Pick up, receive the day as it rolls and hearts to heads and back again taking the blessing for what it is. 

Of my past burdens, which now are yours, can I say now how sorry I am for all the work that did not get done?  And what good would that do but ease my conscience? It would tell you, yes I know the sack of woe you now have. And yet today, finally perhaps I see another process at play and my need to offer my apologies fades like night when the light of a new day breaks. 

Of my past burdens, which before me were someone else’s. That is they were your burdens, you can have them back now.  And I do appreciate you letting me borrow them for a while.  I have learned so much, and I do hope I was able to share what I learned with you. It may have been lost in the whorl of what.  There was so much going on.  I know I was busy.  As to the usefulness of it, I do understand that it seemed useful to me, but not to the organization.  And therefore back to the organization go the burdens that I carried.

On Emerson and self-reliance

 First, Emerson’s self-reliance is a piece of writing where the writer is really attempting to get the reader to stop reading the writing. From the first paragraph you are repeatedly told to just depend upon your self.  Quite tempting to just close the pages and not read it.

There are reasons to keep reading the essay. One whole measure of thought is the knowledge that you are here today - engaged to the day and what it brings and what it takes if you are self-reliant. This is your reveal, measured by another day, a moment, to be yourself and see the universe through your eyes. Your eyes given you by the universe that you are a select member.  To be at wonder as you receive  the particulars of the processes that surround and make the frame of your being, 

And yet, there are processes and the information they produce that at times I will see what others say. I will surrender to the expertise of others. I will be happy to have your special understanding assist with the present. In so doing I put my faith in your effort 

On my weeping roof

 First, it weeps because of all the love it sees laying there. 

Protection by enforcement of code meant to protect a life. The code at this point seems oh so pointless. Yet  it continues to be part of the show, as in the show stopper. 

What is this code? And is it so pointless?And what might happen next?

The code is a requirement to have an AC disconnect- “SINGLE THROW SAFETY SWITCH “ in order to turn off alternating current which could cause harm to an individual remote from a energy producing grid 

The possibility of pointlessness here is …a terrain which on the one hand I am not an expert at, and on the other hand I have been trying to understand if the universe of knowledge around the energy system has changed to make it a moot requirement. Put another way, has the technology changed to automatically yield prior specific requirements as no longer needed ruins which block usage?

And it may not be the person on the grid that needs the protection. It is the grid itself that need protection from your energy producing grid. Your energy producing system might send energy in a format which is bad for the grid. And in this knowledge I know I am lacking in the full meter required to discuss. But then, my understanding is that there are gadgets in the system that do that now. If your energy producing system is out of kilt or no longer on the grid then it will stop passing energy outside. . For this and so much more :

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islanding

So this is what I want: my roof to stop weeping from all the inaction the vendor and the building department have in regard to this code requirement   My roof will weep no longer when the sun shines on the panels to generate renewable energy for people to use.

On Saturday

 First, on Saturday , in the morning, the world is open and wide.  Later as choices pave a particular path the universe of options shrink.

Waking on a Monday, that then became a Saturday-like day is a pleasant childhood  memory. I traveled from being late waking for school to schools out forever, or at least as far as I could imagine.

Waking on a day to have the world open and wide to me, carrying your smile with me. Your sweet smile that Monday awaking to find the day as free.  Maybe it was a Thursday, what ever it was, it was a day when the universe changed with news and your sweet smile. 

On cities

 First, we came together and again with increasing numbers until we were a city. What makes the city is a time and place.  A city is not just a place because in time a city processes the past places into the ruins, good and bad that make it a city. 

From the quarry of one ruin we can mine for blocks to build another future. From the quarry of another ruin we can see the outline of time cut deep into the cellar door.

From the quarry of my present city I ponder prodding processes, as my roof gently weeps. 

On maps

 First, maps can differ in the correspondence they have to a territory. Put another way, some maps are better than other maps. The correspondence a map has is a function of a reader's ability  to receive its  representation of the territory. (Note to self: Let's make a point of increasing out ability to receive representational forms, even the ones that we don't feel very comfortable with.)

Some maps are better for me, and others are better for you. We in our different lives living according to different maps sorting the information received. We rub alone one another in civil ways we appreciate inside and outside our communities.

Some maps are not good for anything more than a message to us that these thoughts were so wrong they ended in ruinous whorls of pain, sorted into concerns and worries after the fact.  Seeing those ruins can take a generation or more to settle out into the maps we keep in our hearts and minds to save us the pain we know they can cause any of us.

Some maps are better, still. The representation of memory accesses in C is not one of them, at least from what I've read. To be frank, C as a language I have a lot of unexplored-ness about. Well, the compiler too.  Just what does the compiler know, apparently more than it should some times as it aggressively does predictive branching, sigh.

Some maps are better, as one can see comparing the efficiency of operations between Roman numerals and Arabic numerals. In the land of ciphering, the Adding to Subtracting: The operations with Arabic numerals are mapped more efficiently from first operands to the last.  It is not the case that one works and the other does not, only one is far more efficient than the other in processing  quantitative narratives. And so the correspondence may initially be the same and result in the same end, but the journey via one representational system compared to another is different.

Pilgrim’s Progress

 First, please know mistakes were made.  Of course that is the origin of many a story, especially those meant to impart knowledge. The thing is that we didn’t know they were ruinous until much later.  And this is a common cause too in many a tale to the traveler. A pilgrim estimate’s of what a trip will involve and the real cost can be much different. 

First, the process is meant to impart some experience for the pilgrim to receive.  And the path is composed of more than just the pilgrim and the land. There are territories and maps, and never is a map the same as territory and yet the path exists still for the pilgrim’s progress.  To understand the mistakes made remember this traveler.

On first

 First is a state of mind that proposes a relation between elements in a universe of elements where some element or set of elements precedes others.

Being first does not necessarily mean it is “better” than non-first elements 

There are states of mind where an understanding of the  the universe is systematically linear. However, imparting understand to others can be better done is a different order.

 First, as to learning, the student that suffers the mistakes they made is best.

Rust

 First, a hug u ginormously (HUG) to the Rust documentation that mentions the compiler as your guide not your adversary to writing safe and smart code.

From https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch03-01-variables-and-mutability.html#variables-and-mutability

This example shows how the compiler helps you find errors in your programs. Even though compiler errors can be frustrating, they only mean your program isn’t safely doing what you want it to do yet; they do not mean that you’re not a good programmer! Experienced Rustaceans still get compiler errors.