Original articles advocating scientific thinking and attitude
倡導科學思想和態度的原作文章 "When he (Kepler) found that his long cherished beliefs did not agree with the most precise observations, he accepted the uncomfortable facts. He preferred the hard truth, to his dearest illusion. That is the heart of science." - Carl Sagan
書的內容涉獵甚廣,作者用了許多例子(如有關DNA證據的討論、乳癌測試的分析)支持其主張,其中難免有重複論點的情況,讀者看到後半可能覺得稍嫌嘮叨,可自選有興趣的主題閱讀。雖然如此,此書的精神還是十分值得推廣的,畢竟當今資訊氾濫,然公眾沒有工具和意慾去分析理解,多甘於讓他人代其思考。文首三道問題只答了二條,還有一條的答案,以及物質是否只有有/沒毒兩種,這些可要閣下自己找尋了!最後送你書中重複出現的康德名言:「敢於去知道!(Dare to know!)」未知沒有甚麼可怕的!
書名: Calculated Risks: How to Know When Numbers
Deceive You
這些數學問題至今仍未完滿解決,但通用圖靈機的發現,對於現代電腦的誕生和發展則帶來了深遠而正面的影響,甚至可以說,沒有通用圖靈機的理念,就不會有今日的電腦。我們今天用的電腦,不是一台只進行某些計算的計算機,而是一台有多種用途,能執行多種程式的機器。每一個程式都有圖靈機的結構,有些程式甚至本身是通用圖靈機,可以執行其他程式,例如作業系統(Operating System = "OS")。通用圖靈機的發明,允許電腦內部有一個層階式的結構,使其可以進行越來越複雜的工作。當其他機器可替代人類進行體力或技術上的工作,因為圖靈的貢獻,我們終於有一種機器可替代人類進行智力上的工作,它就是電腦。
電腦層階式的結構使其可以進行越來越複雜的工作
天才隕歿
然而,圖靈的事跡一直不為世所知,電腦之父的榮譽則由發揚圖靈理念的馮•紐曼(John von Neumann)所奪得,這和歷史因素和圖靈的私生活有關。首先,圖靈為英國破解德軍的密碼系統,這個是國家機密;英國也視圖靈在電腦的研究為某程度上的機密。反之,馮•紐曼身處的美國對於他發明的新計算機持開放的態度,學者間可以自由交流,美國的電腦科學因而得到長足的發展,之後一直處於領先的地位。
Once, there was a tree…
And she loved a little boy.
And every day the boy would come
And he would gather her leaves
And make them into crowns and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
And swing from her branches
And eat apples
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree… very much…
And the tree was happy.
But time went by,
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.
Then, one day, the boy came to the tree and the tree said:
–”Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy!”
–”I am too big to climb and play” said the boy. “I want to buy thing and have fun. I want some money.
Can you give me some money?”
–”I’m sorry”, said the tree,”but I have no money. I have only leaves and apples. Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in city. Then you will have money and you’ll be happy.”
And so the boy climbed up the tree and gathered her apples and carried them away.
And the tree was happy…
But the boy stayed away for a long time… and the tree was sad.
And then one day the boy came back, and the tree shook with joy, and she said:
–”Come, Boy come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy.”
–”I am too busy to climb trees,” said the boy. “I want a house to keep me warm”, he said. “I and want a wife and I want children, and so I need a house. Can you give me a house?”
–”I have no house”, said the tree. “The forest is my house”, said the tree. “But you may cut off my branches and build a house. Then you will be happy”.
And so the boy cut off her branches and carried them away to build his house. And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time…
And when he came back, the tree was so happy she could hardly speak.
–”Come, Boy” she whispered, “Come and play”.
–”I am too old and sad to play”, said the boy. “I want a boat that will take me away from here. Can you give me a boat?”
–”Cut down my trunk and make a boat”, said the tree. “Then you can sail away… and be happy”.
And so the boy cut down her trunk
And made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy…
But not really.
And after a long time the boy came back again.
–”I am sorry, Boy”, said the tree, “but I have nothing left to give you – My apples are gone”.
–”My teeth are too weak for apples”, said the boy.
–”My branches are gone”, said the tree. “You cannot swing on them”.
–”I am too old to swing on branches”, said the boy.
–”My trunk is gone”, said the tree. “You cannot climb”.
–”I am too tired to climb”, said the boy.
–”I am sorry” sighed the tree. “I wish that I could give you something… but I have nothing left. I am just an old stump. I am sorry…”
–”I don’t need very much now”, said the boy. “Just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired”.
–”Well”, said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, “well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down… sit down and rest”.
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy…
I have a feeling. After Jobs' death, there will be no new line of products from Apple. All they will do is to improve the existing ones and earn the last penny and close the company when they are outcompeted.
Don't try to learn what are written in the textbooks. Learn what make sense to you, because you have never learnt what don't.