Newton the Alchemist • Hacker News Board

Re: Newton the Alchemist

#21

Post by KineticLensman » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 3:10 PM UTC

PlayfulTrick wrote: post #12

It is tremendously a trait of innovators, albeit a measure non-admitting even within their very own (this effect increasing with time development; the more contemporary) cognitive administrative architecture (which in extent signifies further development and refinement/ complexity of it's heuristic use); individuals whose cognition ordinarily traverses the realms of particularly pristine& volatile perceptual/ mental…

(frowns, copies text and eliminates subclauses)

I think PlayfulTrick means:

Innovators ...

gesture rhetorically ...

while [thinking] ...

leading to long-term objectives ...

producing [better] quality of outcome(s) ...

to ... open-problems.

Re: Newton the Alchemist

#22

Post by KineticLensman » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 3:49 PM UTC

ASlave2Gravity wrote: post #3

I'm just wrapping up reading The Confusion by Neal Stephenson. The collection, the Baroque Cycle, dramatizes much of Newton's alchemikal endeavours. It's a brilliant read.

Agree. It's a great example of a science fiction writer who brings their SF perspective to historical events / technologies (in this case the invention of science and modern financial systems) that to the characters are massively disruptive.

The beginning and end events (spoiler...) where the same character as a boy witnesses the hanging of a witch and as a (very) old man sees a commercial steam engine are great bookmarks on a massively transformative period of history.

Re: Newton the Alchemist

#23

Post by BubRoss » Thu, Mar 21, 2019, 8:02 PM UTC

olooney wrote: post #16

ajuc wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The funny thing is - we now CAN transmute lead to gold :) It's just not profitable :)

Ironically, it's much easier to turn gold into lead. Simply leave a bar of gold near a fission reactor or other neutron source for a couple of years, and eventually it will turn to lead.

Does tungsten turn into anything different?

Re: Newton the Alchemist

#24

Post by lpd » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 10:06 AM UTC

PlayfulTrick wrote: post #12

It is tremendously a trait of innovators, albeit a measure non-admitting even within their very own (this effect increasing with time development; the more contemporary) cognitive administrative architecture (which in extent signifies further development and refinement/ complexity of it's heuristic use); individuals whose cognition ordinarily traverses the realms of particularly pristine& volatile perceptual/ mental…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG0375yYPRI