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| | May we walk in beauty | |
[The Apache people welcome a new-born boy into the world with the greeting "May he walk in beauty".]
Introduction
I'm 'Pattern-chaser', a middle-aged human male, Gaian Daoist, aspiring software architect, earring-wearer and armchair philosopher. I owe tribal loyalties to England1 and Cymru2, Great Britain and Europe, with due respect to the Celts, to whom I owe my surname.
Statistics-lovers may like to know that I have been loitering here on h2g2 since 26th May 2000. I returned in May 2013 after several years absence. 
I have made a lifelong study of Interesting Things, including:
- subjectivity
 and objectivity  - perception, consciousness and the unconscious mind
- music
 - nature
 and pantheism  - design and creativity
- the Old Gods (Adonis
 , Apis, Artemis  , Attis, Eris  , Fenris  , Isis  , Osiris  ...) - stories and legends; swords
 and sorcery  - the Moon
The Myth of 42
I am a true researcher. U131178: -13 -11 +78 = 54 = 42 (base 13), as in "what is six times nine?"  Researchers of note
See my list of friends (right at the very bottom of this page) for the names of some researchers I think are worth seeking out. Yes, they mostly participate in the Freedom from Faith Foundation, which is where I hang out most of the time. Anyone of any faith (including atheists) is welcome (but leave your dogma at the door ); come and take a look!  Interesting links -
George Lakoff's views on various things, including religion. Lakoff has done a lot of work on metaphor and cognitive linguistics.
- Review of "Religion Explained: The Human Instincts That Fashion Gods, Spirits and Ancestors" by Pascal Boyer.
-
"...how Subconscious Thoughts Cook on the Back Burner" by William H. Calvin.
-
"...happiness is not something that happens. It is not the result of good fortune or random chance. It is not something that money can buy or power command. It does not depend on outside events, but, rather, on how we interpret them. Happiness, in fact, is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person." - Flow Experience
- Predictive deduction is the name of a method described by Chris Lang to make decisions on a rational basis. Although his approach is quite different from mine, it is an interesting extension to my "What is reality?" journal entry, where I suggest that statistics could be extended to (perhaps) quantify the accuracy of our uncertain perceptions. See what you think.
Why 'Pattern-chaser'?
There are a number of different reasons why I chose my nickname, listed below, but mostly I chose it because I like the sound of it, and the image it evokes in my mind.
Within our brains, the nucleus accumbens and the anterior cingulate  help us recognise patterns. Repetition and alternation are two of the most basic, and we respond to them automatically. We don't realise we're doing it, and we can't stop it any more than we can stop our hearts from beating. Human beings seek patterns. So, to some extent, "Pattern-chaser" is equivalent to "human" or perhaps even "Adam"!
Perhaps because of my Celtic ancestry  , there's a 'tribal' feel to the name that attracts me.
In my profession - software design - 'software patterns' have been influential in recent years. Finding and using the right pattern(s) can be a key part of creating an elegant and successful design.
A parting shot
"Live your life so the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and
demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,
beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long, and
its purpose the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and bow to none. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no living thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."
-- Tecumseh (1768-1813)
Thanks for visiting. Please leave a message.
Pattern-chaser
"Who cares, wins"
1 The land of my birth, and where I live now
2 Wales, the land where I grew up
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Journal Entries
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| Welcome to this Researcher's Journal. If you'd like to comment on anything they have written here, just click the relevant 'Discuss this Entry' button. "Well, I'm back"
Last Week
After a few years of absence, and a move from the BBC to here (wherever 'here' is), I'm back. Maybe for a short time, maybe for good. We'll see. There was a reason I left, all those years ago. Hopefully things have changed. We'll see.
Is there anyone still here that might remember me, I wonder?
Justification
Apr 16, 2006
It is a sad consequence of the way I see and understand the universe that I rarely get to present my beliefs and opinions in a positive and constructive manner, for your consideration, dear reader. 
Rather, I find that my beliefs lead me to comment on the confidence with which we all present our beliefs, normally to observe that this confidence is not wholly justified. Often beliefs which I share are presented as 'fact' (or something similarly 'certain'), and I find myself disagreeing, not with the argument presented, but with the strength of its justification.
If I had to identify one aspect of my understanding of the universe which is most significant, I would have to say it's the (misplaced) reliance we feel able to place on our own opinions and views, compared with the (overstated) lack of reliance and confidence we are able to express about the views of others.
Pattern-chaser
"Who cares, wins"
Herman Hesse
Mar 28, 2006
Herman Hesse wrote some spellbinding books. Here are some quotes from his writings:
Eternity is a mere moment, just long enough for a joke.
If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us.
Knowledge can be communicated, but wisdom cannot. A man can find it, he can live it, he can be filled and sustained by it, but he cannot utter or teach it.
People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest.
When dealing with the insane, the best method is to pretend to be sane.
Pattern-chaser
"Who cares, wins"
Celebrating diversity!
Nov 29, 2005
What else is love but understanding and rejoicing in the fact that another person lives, acts, and experiences otherwise than we do…?" - Nietzsche
What is?
Sep 2, 2005
What *is*?
To start with, I think therefore I am. Outside my mind, nothing is certain; nothing *is*. ... But the Real World (RW) *probably* is. Very probably. We can work with that.
So let's assume the RW, as we perceive and understand it, *is*, acknowledging but setting aside the debates about our non-objective perceptions and so on. But perceiving the RW as one big lump isn't very useful to us. It's easier to understand if we can sub-divide it a bit.
So, pretty early on in our history, maybe quite soon after we developed the ability to communicate with one another, we must have created the concept of length, to describe the separation of objects we perceive in the RW. Then, via the creation of numbers and counting, we created units of length, and became able to measure - and even compare - distances.
Around the same time , we must also have created the concept of time, to describe the separation of events we perceive in the RW. And our numbers and counting enabled the creation of units of time, and we became able to measure - and even compare - durations.
None of these eminently useful things - length, time, numbers and counting - exist in the RW. They're all mapping tools that help us to understand it. Yes, there are identifiable objects, and they are separated in the RW, but there is no length out there, just separated objects. Similarly, there is no time out there, just separated events. No numbers or counting either.
It's fascinating, when you think carefully about it, how much of the RW we perceive exists only in our minds. So much of our understanding is based upon the tools we've created to help us live in the RW.
Pattern-chaser
"Who cares, wins"
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