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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

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cantabb - 12:42pm Oct 4, 2003 EST (# 14294 of 14297)

rshow55 - 12:25pm Oct 4, 2003 EST (# 14293 of 14293)

No problem putting those three in the same sentence.

Good to know.

Thanks for your excellent recent posts, Cantab . I appreciate the civility. It makes it easier for me to respond.

Good.

Here's a thought for a grant proposal title, and key questions to be considered:

Conditions for convergence and divergence in human discourse and negotiation - large scale study.

Sometimes a lot of complexity organizes itself - when careful people insist on internal and external consistency, and keep at it - and it seems to me that that is happening now. http://www.mrshowalter.net/Similitude_ForceRatios_sjk.htm discusses a kind of organization that may be "unoriginal" - but is very useful - as it happened in fluid mechanics - through the work of Steve Kline - as an example of some organization that could and should happen elsewhere, I believe.

How does it happen? How does the process misfire or go wrong? How can we make it go right more often?

Why don't you write it up and submit it for funding to a Foundation of your choice ? Then we can move on to something remotely ON-topic here.

My guess is that foundations would be very interested if they knew who was actually contributing on this board.

Just tell them what you tell here: Bush, Rice, Putin, Clinton, et al, (or their stand-ins).

It happens that I'm working trying to answer your questions.

Just 2 very basic questions taking SO MUCH time ? Sorry for making it that difficult. I think I have an idea where the difficulty may lie.

One thing I'd suggest - just as a conjecture - is that every one of the basic rules and conditions people use to evaluate convergence and divergence of series has an analog in discourse.

Whatever ! Once you have put together the answer to my questions, that is.

Hope, you esteemed collaborator, lchic, is helping you in this.

rshow55 - 03:02pm Oct 4, 2003 EST (# 14295 of 14297)
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click "rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for on this thread.

Cantabb: Just 2 very basic questions taking SO MUCH time ?

Could you restate your questions?

Lchic tells me that the board reads pretty well with your posts on "ignore" - and the fact is, your work hasn't been the only thing I've been concerned with. Though I do appreciate both the increased civility and the clarity of your posts this morning.

Cantabb , you say I think I have an idea where the difficulty may lie.

Could you share your thoughts in a civil way? I don't promise to agree with them - or even attend to them, but I might. If you think I'm trying to do something impossible - or think the key difficulty is limitations of my own - you can say so - but please do so civilly.

We all have cognitive limits - but I'm not sure that all the cognitive limits under discussion are my own. I am sure that some subjects can't be taught to some people - beyond a point. http://www.mrshowalter.net/PiagetCognitiveLimits.htm

I think a lot of my postings yesterday worked well, starting with 14281 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.8mn8bqXvLm3.491323@.f28e622/15958 - and were on topic.

lchic - 03:03pm Oct 4, 2003 EST (# 14296 of 14297)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

The afore mentioned writer made the assertion (additional to Shakespeare being Captain of teams of teams) that 'Language is where we live' and that 'we live in a SWIRL of language'

Suggests:

• the 'bi-lingual' enjoy dual residency;

• implies a need for acculuralisation

to make 'outsiders' integral to the group;

• begs understanding and digestion of the language

of an issue such as Missile Defense

• few songs
• stories
• plays
• films
• limited information regularly available to reader
• MD doesn't feature in general conversation
• the negative aspects (fallout) of defense are ignored
• the clean-ups of past war are NOT priority

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