MY YEAR

MY YEAR

Donald A. Windsor

A calendar year is analogous to life itself. It starts out rough, but full of hope, and it ends in a crescendo of gloom, worry, and despair. Along the way it celebrates the exciting joys of youth in spring, the smug satisfactions of adulthood in summer, and the apprehensive exhilaration of maturity in fall.

As I advance in age (83) and approach my own reluctant demise, I currently see myself dwelling in the waning days of November. Almost all flowers have quit blooming; darkness is triumphing over daylight; the headwinds seem to blow ever harder and colder, and I become weaker and weaker.

Here is my personal year, the calendar superimposed atop pivotal points in my autobiography. I travel through this cycle every year and find it to be very therapeutic.

At sunrise on the day after the winter solstice, I am conceived.

On Epiphany I am born.

On Groundhog Day I start grade school.

On the vernal equinox I start high school.

On May Day I become a soldier.

On the summer solstice I become a research biologist.

On the autumnal equinox I become an employed family man, fathering four children.

On Labor Day I retire from employment.

On Halloween I become a grandfather.

On Thanksgiving I have a heart attack and undergo life-extending surgery.

At sunset on the winter solstice, I die.

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BENFORD'S LAW HAS ITS ORIGIN IN THE PARTITION OF INTEGERS

BENFORD’S LAW HAS ITS ORIGIN IN THE PARTITION OF INTEGERS

Donald A. Windsor

Benford’s Law states that 1 tends to be the most frequent number in compilations of measured data (1).

In the partition of any integer, 1 is the most frequent number. The partitioning of integers is a basic property of our system of numbers and could be the origin of Benford’s Law.

An integer is partitioned by assembling all of the possible ways that add up to it. For example, the partition of 5 consists of 7 partition sets.

5

4+1

3+2

3+1+1

2+2+1

2+1+1+1

1+1+1+1+1

The frequency distribution of the 20 numbers in the partition sets is:

5

4

3 3

2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

This highest frequency of 1s holds true for all integers, because the lowest partition state of any integer is all 1s. Therefore, 1 is the most frequent number; 2 is second, and so forth.

I have been using the partitioning of integers as a non-probabilistic standard for modeling phylogenetic, bibliometric, ecological, and economic distributions (2). The reason is that partitions provide a standard, immutable, frequency distribution for comparing against the wavering frequency distributions found in nature and based on randomness and probabilities.

I can simulate many natural frequency distributions by using a simple urn model driven by a random number generator. Some of these Monte Carlo simulations resemble the partition distributions. The biggest departure is at the top with the highest value numbers. The highest value in the partition of 5 has to be 5. In a simulation the highest value could be several times 5. this work continues, albeit at a slow pace because of my advancing age and my obligations as caregiver for my disabled wife.

I did not appreciate the importance of relating partitions to Benford’s Law until I read the article by Brooks (3) in which he asks, “Why on earth should Benford’s law exist?” That was when I realized that the partition of integers could be the origin of Benford’s law, not just another example, because partitions are a basic property of our system of numbers.

I suspect that if Benford had known about my partition model, he may have based his Law upon it.

References cited:

1. Benford, Frank. The law of anomalous numbers. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 1938 March 31; 78(4): 551-572.

2. Windsor, Donald A. Integer partitions result in skewed rank-frequency distributions. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 2002 December; 53(14): 1276.

3. Brooks, Michael. Benford’s law. New Scientist 2017 August 26; 235(3140):38-39.

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ANCIENT ALIENS AND RELIGION

ANCIENT ALIENS AND RELIGION

Donald A. Windsor

I was raised a Catholic and I still am. Catholicism is based on faith – belief independent of evidence.

Ancient Aliens, a television series, offers a different interpretation to some of the scriptural underpinnings of Catholicism and of its precursor, Judaism.

The evidence provided by Ancient Aliens is more compelling because any evidence, no matter how paltry, is more cogent than faith.

Ancient Aliens apparently wants to replace God by attributing divine apparitions and interventions to astronauts from outer space.

Adam and Eve were not created by God, but by ancient aliens. God did not breathe upon clay to create Adam. Aliens genetically modified an ape to produce Adam. I speculate that Eve was a clone of Adam, but with an added X chromosome, perhaps Adam’s rib bone marrow might have been involved.

However bizarre, I do not regard the Ancient Aliens explanations to rule out God. If humanity was indeed produced by aliens, then this was just God working through these aliens.

Angels have traditionally been called the messengers of God. Perhaps what Judeo-Christians have been calling angels are really God’s astronauts. Perhaps prophets were too.

What is more far-fetched, human bodies with feathered wings? Or aliens in flying saucers?

And what about the Devil? What is more believable, a diabolical red miscreant sporting horns, cloven hooves, and a tail, wielding a pitchfork? Or an evil invader from outer space organizing terrorist groups like ISIS to destroy civilization?

The battle between good and evil seems to have been plaguing humanity since its gitgo, through all sorts of technologies and religions. Now we seem to be pulling more cooks into our stew.

If we were made by ancient aliens, where did the ancient aliens come from? God only knows! 

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A THEORY OF REALITY

A THEORY OF REALITY

Donald A. Windsor, Norwich, NY, USA

What is real? This ancient philosophical question deserves a current answer. So I offer one, in spite of the risks.

Reality is a physical and mental manifestation based on the laws of physics. Reality is analogous to a video game. In video games, pixels are manipulated by an operator interacting with a computer program driven by electrical energy. In reality, the operator is fate, which is an outgrowth of time, which is generated by the serial running of the program provided by the laws of physics. This program can reprogram itself and is self-energized.

Each of our lives is a trajectory in space-time. Our trajectory started in our zygote and will terminate at our death. As our collective trajectories collide with one another, our lives become lived.

It is already quite a stretch for us to comprehend how our notion of things is a manifestation of sub-atomic particles, atoms, and molecules, arranged in diverse ways. Yet, this is our current, well accepted theory. It is an even greater stretch to see ourselves as computer-generated images moving around in a four-dimensional matrix. However, consider the advantages. Look at how it includes so many phenomena that we cannot explain with science — so we ignore them by labeling them as paranormal or occult or pseudoscience. Look at aesthetics, or the many mysterious interactions among people, or religion. All these phenomena are part of our reality. Any explanation of reality must include the totality of reality, even the anecdotal.

My theory of reality could explain such baffling concepts as gravity, time, multiple universes, quantum entanglement, and dark matter. But far more important, it could unite science and religion by explaining UFOs, mental telepathy, prophesy, reincarnation, afterlife, and yes, even how God could intervene without violating the laws of physics.

To test my theory of reality, it would be necessary to hack into its operating system and commandeer reality, make it behave according to the hacker's orders. While this hacking may sound far fetched, it is exactly what prayer purports to do. It is what many scientists probably do when they root for an experiment to work or an observation to last long enough to draw a conclusion. Or, when they hope that a loved one survives a vicious disease.

Any theory of everything has to confront reality. When it does, what will be the outcome?  

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GAME ON! RECOVERING FROM MY HEART ATTACK

Donald A. Windsor

On 4 January 2013 I had a heart attack and on 9 January underwent triple bypass surgery.  This near-death experience and the ensuing recovery process did not change my basic ideas about religion, but did dampen my enthusiasm for writing about it.  Thus the lull in my postings on this blog. 

Religion is a social force which unites people by gathering them together so they can practice common rituals.  Unfortunately, religion also divides people by generating us-versus-them mentalities.  I still see very little connection between religion and God.

It may simply be that I am too much of a loner.

Whereas I am a member of many (too many) organizations, I am still a loner within each of them.  All organizations, religions and otherwise, have their own rituals, attitudes, and behaviors.  I have trouble adhering to them.  This is a handicap, definitely not an asset.

But, from a theological aspect, I am what I am because God created me this way.  All of us are endowed with talents and defects.  Life is like a card game.  We have to play with the hand we were dealt.  We must make the best of our talents, no matter how meager they may be.  Conversely, we must overcome our defects, no matter how disabling they may be.

Like it or not, we must play the game of life, for no other reason but that we are stuck with it.

So, Game On!

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DOES GOD EXIST?

Donald A. Windsor

Does God exist?  This is the most important question I have ever tried to answer.

If God does exist, then all our experiences would have some meaning, because we may then fit into some larger plan.  If God does not exist, then our lives are meaningless, except for whatever meaning we can assign.

Ignoring God is easy when our lives are running smoothly.  But when we are experiencing one misfortune after another, we tend to implore God for blessed relief; at least, I do.  When such relief comes, we are grateful.  Thus the common expression, "Thank God". 

The literature dealing with the existence of God is vast.  I have read much of it but still find it useless.  If God exists, I want to dialog directly with God.  I do not want to go through a holy middleman, or even an unholy one.  Talking to God is easy; that is what prayer is all about.  However, I want God to talk to me, personally, directly.

God does not violate scientific principles, so I do not expect to hear voices or see divine majesty.  But if God observes the natural systems that God created, how else could God communicate?  I think I have figured out how.  God communicates by influencing probabilities.  The probability of any event happening is one.  However, before the event, the probability is less than one.  If God knows the future, then by definition God knows what events have probabilities of one.  We do not.  Humanity invented the concept of probability to measure ignorance.

What this means in everyday life is that some very close calls can make or break us.  Every time that I survive a narrow escape, I interpret it to be a powerful message from God.  Not all narrow escapes are physical life or death.  Some are careers, or opportunities for enjoyment, or the differences between winning or losing, or whatever forms a pivotal change.  That is, God speaks to me by guiding my adventures with life-altering events.  Does God guide your adventures?

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EXTENDING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Donald A. Windsor

The traditional Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments are inadequate.

The first three Commandments deal with humanity's interrelationships with God (Exodus 20:1-10).
1.  You will have only one God (:2-5). 
2.  Do not take God's name in vain (:7).
3.  Keep holy the Sabbath Day (:8-10).

The next seven Commandments deal with humanity's interrelationships among itself (Exodus 20:8-17).
4.  Honor your father and mother (:12).
5.  Do not kill (:13).
6.  Do not commit adultery (:14).
7.  Do not steal (:15).
8.  Do not bear false witness against your neighbor (: 16).
9.  Do not covet your neighbor's property (:17).
10. Do not covet your neighbor's wife (:17).

Now we need some Commandments that deal with humanity's interrelationships with our planet Earth.  Here are five that I propose.
11.  Do not pollute.
12.  Do not overpopulate.
13.  Do not destroy natural ecosystems.
14.  Do not render a species extinct.
15.  Do not contaminate other planets.

My purpose here is to encourage thinking about humanity's responsibilities toward its own world and the rest of the universe.  Moreover, I would like to see such interrelationships elevated to a religious obligation practiced with a religious fervor. 

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