String Theory

If you think this post is about String Theory and its convoluted explanation of reality through vibrations and the contemplation of n dimensions, you are going to be sadly disillusioned. Bugger esoteric theory, for today's outpouring remains fully embedded in practical reality. Please note: There will be no mention of Hot Gypsies, Hola!

I am perplexed, and facing a problem of extreme befuddlement. As my general readership will no doubt be aware, I'm a rabid archer and the unrepentant owner of 36 bows spanning across cultural and historical bounds. 

In order to use a bow for the purpose of propelling a yard shaft, at a suitable target, or annoying neighbour, there has to be a string to mediate the process. The purpose of the string is to act as an intermediary in the transfer of kinetic energy that is expelled at the time of release. This energy accumulates within the limbs of the bow as the archer transfers his/her muscular energy. This energy transfer is not 100% efficient; waste will accrue, and energy will dissipate, generally through heat loss, and thus will not be available to power the projectile's propulsion. The laws of thermodynamics are not to be violated or denied. Modern recurve bows, however, are very efficient at transferring energy, and thus energy loss is minimised. Paradoxically, modern compound bows, with all their clever design, and although considered the pinnacle of the engineer's skill, are less efficient in ceding the energy reserve for useful work than the humble stick. The reflex/deflex of the recurve bow and the ingenious use of laminations, wood, fibreglass, and sometimes carbon, are cleverly fashioned to exploit each material's strengths and, by combination, extol their synergistic alliance. The second law of thermodynamics, although never defeated, exacts a toll that remains within accepted and manageable limits. The compound bow beloved by the hunter loses a greater degree of stored energy to frictional heat loss than the humble recurve. This fine, machine, the wonder of the age, efficient energy transference, is superseded by another inbuilt priority. Its goal has been by necessity transformed. The pulleys, cams and cables inherent within the system are ultimately designed to enable a final, steady and unhurried release. 'Let Off' is the hunter's friend.  'Let Off' is the design default. And let's be clear and cogent: I'm not discussing Big Bill's colonic gaseous emissions that come forth after a heavy Saturday night's drinking in the 'Felching Ferret' and the obligatory consumption of a vindaloo. No, 'Let Orrf' in this context refers to the engineer's skill, through a thorough understanding of classical mechanics. Potential energy is stored within the totality of the system, not just in the limbs. This is where the engineer's skill in creating a machine with an intricate array of finely tuned and crafted parts comes into play. At full draw, the power is distributed within the 'workings' of the bow. Although the full draw weight of the bow is, let us say, 50lbs, the archer, at full draw, experiences a hold of no more than 5lbs; this is termed 90% let off. The compound bow holds the other 45lbs in abeyance, in the beguiling array of cables, composite material and double cams. The advantage is clearly seen. But Nature demands balance. All must bow/bow to the laws that will and cannot be violated or denied. The charlatan who peddles impossible, nay, implausable, perpetual 'free' energy engines can only thrive but for the want of a middle-grade understanding of the immutable laws of causal reality. The presence of the extra machinery that affords convenience is in itself a contradiction. The final benefit of comfort and accommodation is a chimaera of deceit. Energy trapped in the machine pays a toll for the inevitable multiplication of frictional loss, a consequence of the maze of complexity. The modern recurve, though deceptively simple, is the more effective machine, at least in terms of total energy transfer per pound of input. How can it be otherwise?

Anyway, I've managed to wend my way off the beaten track. The topic to be presented has been bypassed and left unattended. This is the dilemma I must face. The Muse that accompanies my soul, on occasion, is a capricious sprite that comes and goes without bidding and leaves me drained and used up. During her stay, she demands total obedience and expects frenetic typing on topics that fly through my brain unattended and bereft of control. I am a mere puppet and dance with the twang of the firings of neurons. I have little volition and must spew forth the froth and detritus that invades my mind. She is a cruel and compelling mistress- but I must obey. And when she leaves, oftentimes she is the herald of the 'Black Hound' that crushes my being. 

So, back to the Topic at Hand- for some reason, I have digressed

I have a surfeit of bow strings. Foolishly, I had placed a large number of strings, of various lengths, within a box. I confess, I wasn't particularly meticulous with their placement. However, I kept them separate, or so I thought. Moving forward a span, I needed a spare string for a bow and therefore rummaged through the box to see if a suitable replacement could be found. Imagine my dismay when I found a tangled mass befitting of the Gordian Knot. Unlike the problem Alexander faced over 2,000 years ago, a sharp blade was not the solution. In the time the strings had been allowed to nestle, they had mysteriously entwined, twisted, and interlocked, defying rational discernment. In fact, they were so interwoven that the separation of even one string defied my concerted effort.  So, my question to the savants that deign to read this drivel: What is going on? How come strings, left separate and unattended for a while, become hopelessly interlocked? Now I am an unashamed rationalist and empiricist, completely immersed in the scientific method. My journey to this intellectual revelation and truth did not happen easily or overnight. Tis the product of many years of education and reflection. How come entities, abundant, have become interlaced in multifold ways that logic and rational understanding hold no sway? During the time of repose, the box containing said strings, left unabused, and without outside interference, as far as can be rationally determined, somehow experienced outside or internal interactions that require agency. Energy must have been expended, whether that energy came from outside or from within the confines of the system is to be determined. I am at a loss to offer a solution that jibes with sound induction. Surely, there is one, or a cohort, of my esteemed readers that can proffer an explanation that is in accord with what I hold sacred in my ordered and highly rational worldview. There has to be some energy source involved to move the strings in convoluted, interconnected ways. I am losing sleep as the problem denies any explanation that remains solid with my rational domain. Hopefully, there is a wise soul out in the vast expanse of the blogosphere who can come up with an explanation that beats my reliance on amitriptyline. Otherwise, I am doomed to awake at 4am, after a restless night of tossing and turning, to be fully immersed in this dreadful conundrum. It invades my waking hours also. It will not leave me and haunts both my days and nights in equal measure. In sheer desperation, I am pushed to utter despair and driven to contemplate the existence of a poltergeist named Rupert. Naughty Rupert, places odd socks in my drawer. He hides my car keys and sequesters my wallet when I need it. Will someone save me from incoherence and uncertainty? I have spent the last 50 years of my scientific professional existence building an edifice of rock-solid certainty and intellectual comprehension. Things made rational sense. Of course, not all of the universe's mysteries have been unravelled. But with time and scientific endeavour, all is within our grasp, eventually. The elements of the Supernatural need not intrude on my well-ordered scientific paradigm.  

Is there anyone who can restore my confidence in an ordered universe governed by long-established rules based on irrefutable mathematics and logic? Surely, there is someone well-versed in physics, mayhap beyond my meagre knowledge, who has the wisdom to explain the cosmic quantum forces that befuddle my simple mind and can provide an explanation that doesn't evoke the mischievous sprite, Rupert.

My sanity is in your hands... 

           

Fish: Early Evolution Of

Ancestor of all Living Vertebrates

Posts of late are straying from my Biological roots. This post is designed to restore the balance, somewhat. However, if my readers are expecting a detailed and rich explanation concerning the evolution of those Pesky Pisces, they are going to be sadly disabused.  The following is not without informational content. With that said, there is much errant intellectual meandering without coherent purpose or relevant direction. I make no apologies for this screed.  Honestly, I can state with sincere intent/content that my effort was the result of the Muse, which is oft sitting upon my shoulder, spewing a diatribe that defies editing or mediation/moderation. Enjoy. 

This morning, I propelled myself at an age-appropriate, sedentary pace along the path of a local country lane. This morning ritual is sometimes referred to as 'running'; however, I prefer to call the ambulatory process/progress Dotage Dodering. Anyway, I'm starting to wander/wonder off the path/page. During the forward momentum, I was destined to pass over a small brook. This insignificant water course is usually of no interest to me. But on this occasion, for reasons not immediately discernible, I decided to stop and peer over the low parapet. My unprompted curiosity was promptly rewarded. As my eyes focused on the lightly 'tea-stained' babbling water, I espied a denizen, not a troll, close to the bridge edge. An eel had emerged from its burrow within the bank. And it was big. Its shovel-shaped head measured nearly the span of my hand, and I estimated that about 2 feet of its sinewy black form was visible, hinting at a total length immeasurable extending within its dark, dank den. The swart eyes impressed upon its sleek dorsal form stared back into mine. Something was unsettling and outre about that unblinking, steady gaze. I moved slowly to the opposite bank, and the head of the eel followed my movement without falter. I got close and peered into the water. The eel stood fast and, with its soulless, dead eyes, latched onto mine. As if by cue, it slowly opened its maw, hinting at fathomless depths of infinite shade. I expected long fangs ready to rend flesh and tear sinew, but instead I was met with two rows of small peg-like protusions, barely discernible. At the termination of the eel's unremarkable dental display, it slowly retreated to its lair. The spell was broken, and the reverie that had held me in thrall dispelled.  

As I continued my forward perambulation (no, I didn't throw the baby in the water), my normally cluttered, chaotic mind pondered my recent experience with uncharacteristically cold precision and logic. In addition, I noted that my nipples were experiencing light but significant chafing. When younger, this might reflect minor arousal, but at 70, it was a nuisance. This is particularly pronounced as I have been 'sported' with a minor congenital abnormality termed in the medical community as a teritary or accessory nipple. Thus, I am doomed not only by 'runner's chafed nipple x2', but in my case, I have to suffer the indignity of 50% more irritation. Note to self: apply extra vaseline, not nipple rouge, to three redundant anatomical appendages. My brain retreated into the archives and dredged through the meagre knowledge concerning mouths, and in particular, jaws and teeth. I sourced a scant snippet (redundant, double positive) on the evolution of said anatomical features and recalled that jaws first emerged in fish and that the jaw evolved from a bony gill arch. My interest stirred, I turned on my heel and hurried home as fast as my arthritic bipedal appendages could bear. Once showered, I entered my inner retreat/den/office/sanctum and placed the 'Bugger Orff' sign on the door. Suitably encounced, I scoured the internet, absorbing knowledge like a man demented.

What follows, after this rather dilatory and particularly irrelevant introduction, are the labours of my rather incoherent and not particularly focused research. Unfortunately, I became distracted by sites concerning the sexual stimuli of applied nipple rouge. Naughty Flaxen!      

Think back to 600 million years ago (Edicaran Period). Life, albeit simple, abounded in the shallows of endless seas. The land was a barren place, and life of any degree had not evolved sufficient sustaining features to allow exploitation and colonisation. Thick mats of bacterial blooms dominated the sea floor. Strange blob-like animals lie supine and inactive on the bacterial drugget. Nutrients from prokaryotic growth drift into the mucus covering of primitive animals by osmotic processes and natural gradient equalisation. The squat, irregularly shaped creatures are devoid of the features that would subsequently evolve and define and dominate the Cambrian Explosion to come. But as yet, animals lack a gut, skeletal structure, and organised neural collective complexity. And importantly, no means of sensing or moving in a direction. They are bound to where they lie and only move to the tune and whim of currents and powerful physical forces to which they can neither react nor resist. This is a time of bacterial abundance. There is no halt to their remorseless growth, and they dominate and carpet the seabed without check. But this would change.  

Now we move toward the end of the Edicaran. Animals have evolved; some continue their sequestered existence. However, evolution has moulded other creatures to exploit a loophole. The predator is born. By 558 million years ago, we see the emergence of active predators (of sorts). They have developed reactive senses that supply information about their environment. They respond, and as the gut evolves, they can graze on the bacterial expanse and finally actively digest the cells. 

During the early Cambrian, we see the development of the notochord, a rudimentary backbone in what would become the bony fish. These early fish were devoid of jaw and fins and propelled themselves by whip movements of their sinuous body. Their mouths were but gaping holes, and feeding was achieved by sucking up bottom detritus. The Cambrian was a dynamic period for evolution, and during this time fish evolved jaws, from gill arches, fins, bony protective plates and eventually teeth, possibly derived from dental skin plates. Fish had moved from being the prey of the boneless mollusc-like critters to being their predators. The combination of jaws, teeth and rapid movement became a formidable formation. This formula became the dominant mode of life for prey and predator alike. Humans are direct descendants of the first bony fish. The evolutionary development of the fundamental anatomical features described was already present in fish by the late Cambrian.

Fins would become lobes, allowing fish to tentatively invade the land. Amphibians would be the result. A phyllum betwixt the two mediums, but master of none. With the evolution of reptiles, animals would finally divorce themselves from the seas and become permanent residents and eventually masters of the land. But that's a story for another day. But only if I can be Arrrsed!           

Trans. Part I. The Awakening

This blog's primary focus is not on social commentary. Most of my readers take for granted that Modern Society is Donald Ducked; Tipton rhyming slang. So, I don't want to make a habit of this sort of thing. This blog is an oasis of clear water in an arid desert of impending Doom. And now I'm being a pretentious cunt. The trouble is the world is becoming more and more strange (is it?), and I'm adrift in a sea of floating detritus, and mayhap a bit of flotsam and jetsam thrown in for dramatic effect. (stop it, Flaxen! You are waxing lyrical again, and either you haven't taken your meds, or you are pissed again.) Nuff said. 

I'll be using the US as my paradigm for discussion; however, what I have to say is clearly relevant throughout the West.   

My previous post, 'LOST', has certainly struck a chord with my regular readership. Admittedly, the folk who frequent my modest blogging effort tend to be of the elder demographic. However, I will boldly state that they also belong to the class of folk who think deeply about the world in which they live, and many are the recipients of a higher education. But higher ed is not essential. From my comment section, I get the impression that my core block of readers is smarter than the average ferret (sorry shagger).

The thrust of my post put forth the idea that I no longer feel part of society. Society over the past 20 years has morphed into something no longer identifiable as Western or European civilisation. Or has it? We seem to live in an age where every minority within society has a voice disproportionate to the small size of the group- and that voice is certainly loud. And we are expected to uncritically agree and endorse these folk, regardless of how bizarre or counter to the norms of a well-ordered moral society their agenda purports to be (?wot is dat den). The thing is, for the most part, society has not changed. The majority have not changed their views at the drop of every cultural fad. Most of us ignore the minority social interjection, laugh at the blatant ridiculousness of the agenda, and go on about our lives unsullied. What is insidious is the constant social media deluge we are subjected to on issues that generally do not impact our lives and which we have zero interest in. The problem is that wily politicians and the media are quick to notice this background social 'noise', and if they see movement that may give them traction amongst certain minority voting sectors, or readership, they may consider lending their support.  Even traditionally conservative groups that have, in the past, baulked at supporting outlandish ideologies may be tempted to relent. If there is political mileage to be made, a bandwagon to jump on, or a trumpet to blow, sleazy career politicians are always first in line.

Mainstream society can weather a lot of attacks from the left-wing press and sleazy politicians. The deluge of print and words from folk trying to swamp us with ideologies we do not care about leaves little impact on the millions who go about their day, go to work, and ignore crass nonsense. Sometimes the message does register, but not in ways predicted by those who promulgate it. Remember the backlash against the Bud Light ads a few years back. The inclusion of a transgender woman in the tele ads caused a drop in the beer's sales between 11 to 26%  within a month of the ad's projection. The brewery's stock fell 20% within a very short time. The boycott caused serious financial damage to the company. Never underestimate the power of drunks when they sober up. What were the ad people thinking? Perhaps they were trying to elevate a traditionally blue-collar drink to the chattering classes. It failed miserably. They lost their traditional customers, and the targeted audience did not take up the slack. Feminine heads did roll. 

Related to the ad is a movement that has gained almost unprecedented momentum over the past 16 years. I'm referring to the Transgender Revolution. In 2010, it was estimated that 1 in 10,000 people in the US suffered from Gender Incongruence, a rare condition where the biological gender does not coincide with an individual's perceived gender identity. In most cases, clinicians of the not-too-distant past considered the condition a mental disorder. The definition can be extended. In extremely rare cases, individuals possessing gonadal tissue from both male and female sex organs, with associated morphological changes, render sex assignment at birth exceedingly difficult. Truly, these patients deserve to be allocated a distinct third gender; in the past, they were termed Hermaphrodites, now Intersex. A chromosome disorder or a single-gene defect may be identified as the causative factor, but not in all cases. The genetic and chromosomal aberrations associated with these conditions are highly complex and fascinating, and they beg to be discussed on this very blog. Especially as it impinges on my previous professional interest and expertise; be warned, it can get technical.

Skip forward to today, and the incidence of perceived Gender Incongruence in the US hovers around 3%, with 2% expressing doubts about their assigned gender role. And this change has come within 10 years. WTF has happened within the past 10 years to validate this massive jump in gender confusion? And this phenomenon is not confined to the US, as similar figures are being reported in Western Europe and Australasia. The increase in cases is mostly affecting Generations Z and Alpha, which should give us a clue, as these generations were the first to grow up fully immersed in the explosion of online social media. Another clue lies in the sex of those identifying as Trans. Historically, the condition overwhelmingly affected men much more than women; however, today the demographic shift has been reversed, and biological women are coming forward in greater numbers than men- I wonder why?  

So what has happened to completely uproot society's gender norms and push society to entertain concepts that only exist in a linguistic freak show?  Only those born in a social quietude that existed previously will have a clue about what I am alluding to. Somehow, society appears to have lost its grip on reality and noisily slipped into the 'Twilight Zone'.

The rise of social media has been rapid and transformative. Facebook, the undoubted leader in the game, has 3.1 billion consumers as of 2025. Media platforms, WhatsApp and YouTube, have over 1 billion users each. Social media is undoubtedly a double-edged sword. It enables folk to share their views with the world and to connect with like-minded folk. However, it is a nest of manipulation and a hive of misinformation. People, especially young people, are influenced by social media. Questionable agendas from minority groups can be promulgated worldwide. The platform is easily distorted, and spurious information can be disseminated en masse to the masses. Then there are issues of privacy. Information can be collected and sold to unscrupulous parties for financial gain. There are other societal influences that are operating to interweave the 'Transgender Issue' into the realm of everyday reality. And it was achieved with an efficiency and an overarching impact that staggers the rational mind.  

In the subsequent posts on the topic, I'm going to consider the driving forces behind the take-off of the Trans Movement, its societal, political and medical impacts, and anything else that has suddenly popped into my tortured psyche. In particular, I would like to discuss the biology of Intersex Folk and its ramifications. And of course, I need to rationally discuss whether we are talking about biology or something else. My heart goes out to those who genuinely belong to the exceedingly rare group of folk with the condition. Their plight is being distorted and drowned out in the mass, collective tumult of those who don't deserve a hearing. But how to discern the difference? What I don't want to do in this blog is to take a swipe at folk with a genuine medical diagnosis, or the poor kids being manipulated and coerced into decisions that will have significant physiological and psychological consequences for the rest of their lives. The latter category is victims of social forces that they are too young to comprehend.

Lean back and soon be ready to read Flaxen's askew and oft awry look at a topic that demands a cold, critical and sober appraisal (Hic) from a man tottering and weaving toward the abyss of frank insanity. And, don't forget it's ferrets all the way down. Makes complete sense, doesn't it?