andrewvs

What Do You Think?

Please. Let me know that you are out there.

If you're reading this, then click on the Comments link below and at least type in, "I'm a reader."

Or, go whole hog and take 30 seconds to tell me what you think about this blog. What do you like? What don't you like? The more feedback I get, the more I can make this blog interesting to you.

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Thanks.

Question 5: Name for "Rule by Seniority"?

What is the name for a system that is ruled by those with the greatest seniority (i.e. they've been around the longest)?

I'm looking for an "-ocracy" word—not a phrase like "seniority based system." I am also not satisfied with "gerontocracy" (rule by elders) because it implies old age.

Imagine a community where the people in charge are the ones who started it. They may not be old, or smart, but they're in charge just because they've been around longest.

Reference points: Plutocracy: rule by the rich, Meritocracy: rule by virtue of merit and ability, Theocracy: rule by religion, or by God, Aristocracy: rule by the best (privileged class), Monarchy: rule by one person, Oligarchy: rule by a few, Democracy: rule by the people

Question 4: How Much Do You Need to Know?

It seems that in many fields (medicine, law, finance/accounting, engineering, aviation, culinary arts), and academia (history, mathematics, bible studies, etc.), on-the-job perfomance requires the practitioner to know a large number of facts. I will concede that they must know how to use those facts to work creatively...but...there is a large amount of foundational knowledge that must learned and retained.

Can you help me find some references that discuss the amount of knowledge one must know to be successful in various fields. I'm looking for numbers, recognizing that they will be estimates. Ideal quotes would be from authoritative sources saying something such as, "By the time medical students graduate from medical school, they will have learned more than one million facts." The more diverse the professions or occupations or tasks the better.

Question 3: Copying Wood Carving Into Bronze

I have a wooden carving of a bear that I would like copied into bronze.

What is the best way to do this? By best I mean easiest and cheapest. I would also consider having it copied into a fake stone material if it was much cheaper. If you know of a third option (besides bronze and fake stone, by all means, let me know).

Who would I go to? How much would it cost? Is it possible for an amateur to do this type of project at home? Note: I would like the wooden carving to remain in its original condition.

For those of you interested in the carving itself—these types of bears have been handcrafted in Japan for about a hundred years. (They were originally inspired by sculptures of the Black Forest bears of Germany.) You can find these bears for sale on eBay by searching for "bear" and "ainu." (Ainu is the name for the indigenous people of Japan who most commonly live in the northern regions of the country.)

Question 2: Opportunity Cost of Ineffective Treatments

I would like to find one or more arguments that support the position that even though completely ineffective treatments may not cause direct harm to the subject, harm is still caused because other treatments that would have been effective are not pursued. There are two domains where I could easily see this happening: medicine and education. My interest is in education.

Question 1: Disappearing and Reappearing Inks

Please identify two chemicals for me that are readily available, non-toxic, and that work together to produce the following effect:

Chemical #1 is used in a first pen to write out a word on a piece of paper. The word is invisible (as though it were written using tap water).

Chemical #2 is used in a second pen to rub over the area where the word was originally written—the word immediately becomes visible. (Ideally, the paper surrounding the word is unmarked.) Shortly (in a matter of seconds, not minutes) the word fades away and once again becomes invisible.

It would be great if this process could be repeated a number of times.