Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Societal Utility and Proximity Effects
Warning! This post is an idle ramble from a Saturday morning and is not even remotely funny.
Recent news of Goldman Sachs $550m settlement with the SEC generates a range of reactions. From normal people, it seems like a lot of money, but as one commentator said, that is less than Goldman's annual charitable giving. Presumably, Goldman can cover this without breaking a sweat.
Jessica reiterated the common lament (in our circles) that it would be amazing to an academic to see something like the money flowing in financial circles. I have worked with telescopes that were seen as hugely complex and expensive. Total cost: under $100m with a decade of work. Obviously society isn't putting as much value in a telescope as in a bank.
And honestly, I'm not sure it should. The financial industry does some useful stuff, after all. The current recession was started by banks getting cold feet and slowing interbank lending. The end of 2008 showed pretty clearly how banks are the financial lubricant for the economy.
The argument could be made that bankers and academics make different amounts of money according to their utility to society. Naturally they are paid by different mechanisms (private and public), but somehow --- through politics, markets, labor movement --- the system perhaps organizes itself to provide maximal societal benefit. It seems like it could work this way, at least in a democratic and capitalist society.
But it is worth asking question: are the relative benefits in, say, financial and academic industries proportional to their societal benefit?
While one could assume this, it is harder to show. Presumably, someone has tried to do this by adding up the value in patents, technologies, etc.. Still, there are some corners of research (like what I do) that are so far from financial payoff that it is pretty hard to quantify its utility. Most people in government circles tend to justify paying for people like me by saying that it is training for a useful career doing something else!
Then again, there are proximity effects. I could imagine that bankers are overpaid in terms of societal benefit based on their proximity to the flow of money. The basic idea as I see it is as follows:
The benefits (pay) to an industry can only be made to the extent that its utility is recognized.
Naturally a banker recognizes the benefit of their trade, so they are compensated properly. But how well compensated is an academic in some potentially-useful field that nobody knows about? Not so well.
Politics is a system strongly affected by the proximity effect. Decisions are made in central places, just by necessity of how people interact. These places accrete more people with an interest in affecting decisions. As a result, anyone far from the centers of power are more likely to be forgotten. Hence: representative government. This is a way distilling the interests of far-flung places into a person that can interact in proximity to others decision makers.
But I wonder: is there an equivalent to representative government in how societies decide how to compensate academic and practical industries? I guess it lies somewhere in how politics and markets interact.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
In case you thought astronomy unimportant...
One of the pleasures of being a professional astronomer is that occasionally someone, somewhere in the world, will think you are absolutely critical to their continued existence. It is almost never justified, but always entertaining.
That moment came to most of the UC Berkeley astronomy department recently, when we were each sent the email below.
By the way, any similar solicitations by potential funding agencies should know that we will happily send your message into space. We just don't do it for the other crazy people.
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Hi,If you are beaming interstellar radio messages into the universe for your scientific experiments, you may consider using any or all of the information provided in my email signature or the attached PDF document. I would like to let the ETs know of my existence. We may be able to make contact with highly intelligent and advanced space-faring alien civilizations with time travel capabilities one day and perhaps request them to give all mankind immortality from the very beginning of human civilization. If alien lifeforms can reach us, they probably travel faster than the speed of light or transit through worm holes.
Thank you very much.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. (signature and all personal information redacted upon later request)
For online photos of me when I was a kid, please scroll down to the bottom of my signature.Facebook:
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Dip(Mechatronics) BEng(Hons)(Mechanical Engineering)
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Monday, November 23, 2009
leafy greens the way brother lifeisrandom intended
leafy greens the way brother lifeisrandom intended: "
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archive - contact - sexy exciting merchandise - search - about–  | |||
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| ← previous | November 23rd, 2009 | next | |
November 23rd, 2009: Tomorrow I'll be doing an 'Ask Me Anything' on Reddit! If you've got a Reddit account (and they only take 20 seconds to sign up for) then you can ask me a question and I will do my best to answer them all. So if you have any burning questions about what it's like being this guy with a website then tomorrow is your chance to ask them!!
– Ryan | |||
Sunday, November 8, 2009
A new discovery in the Hawaiian web of life
A new discovery in the Hawaiian web of life: "
The Hawaiian islands are connected, not only geologically, but with an intricate web of life.
This fact has been reestablished in the past week with the announcement of the discovery of a series of closely related moths on three islands of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands—moths that have been evolving in the Islands for 30 million years.
(Image: The eight new species of moths from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Source: NOAA.)
The moths are new to science, but this kind of connectivity is not.
In the wet forests of the Island, the alani or melicope species are an example. The various species are clearly related, even to an untrained eye. They tend to have large waxy leaves that form a fat oval. They tend to be leggy. Small, delicate flowers.
They are very much the same in many ways. And different.
A Kaua'i species, mokihana, has the famous anise scent, which the other species lack. The four-parted seed pods are tightly closed in some species, but the seed cases spread out like petals on a bloom in others.
There are the cave spiders, hunting spiders with less-developed eyes on the older islands than on the younger ones.
And forest birds with different colors and food preferences on different islands, but otherwise clearly closely related.
On and on. Cousins of a Molokai bug live on Kaua'i alongside bird cousins, plant cousins and so forth.
Perhaps what's most surprising about the new moths is that they have survived long enough to be found, not that they ever existed.
Reseachers Patrick Schmitz and Daniel Rubinoff announced their find in the journal Zootaxa: eight new members of the moth genus Hyposmocoma, all found within islands of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
The genus Hyposmocoma is unique to Hawai'i, but the group is well represented here, with more than 300 species, most of them on the major islands, and one previously known from the northwestern islands—from Necker or Mokumanamana. Some species are from the wet forest, some from aquatic habitats, and the new finds suggest that species have also evolved to handle very arid habitats of the low northwestern islands.
A monument press release included these quotations:
“This is a great snapshot of species endemism, one that indicates how species have evolved on islands throughout the whole archipelago over time,” said Rubinoff. “We are continuing our research now, but it is possible that the ancient ancestor of the now uniquely Hawaiian Hyposmocoma moths may have landed on a young Northwestern Hawaiian Island and evolved over millions of years into several lineages, which hopped down the island chain, spawning a diversity of species.”
“Although only a few of the lineages that were once on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are still holding on there now, these tiny atolls, in a former life, were the crucibles of one of the most diverse groups on the current High Islands. The species we described from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are the descendents of those original, and likely ancient, Hyposmocoma lineages and they have hung on, adapting over time to the islands’ current severe dry conditions. They are the survivors.”
“I am certain more species are waiting to be discovered in the Monument, since we’ve found hard evidence of their caterpillars and know them to be unique,” said Rubinoff. “We also know that Gardner Pinnacles has at least one endemic species and possibly more, but we just haven’t been able to get there yet to document it.”
Among the ways these creatures are distinguished from each other, besides their unique wing coloring, is that their larval cases have very different shapes.
The new species are:
• Hyposmocoma laysanensis, named after and found only on Laysan Island
• Hyposmocoma ekemamao, a larger species found only on Laysan Island and named for its purselike case (eke in Hawaiian) and the island’s remoteness (mamao in Hawaiian)
• Hyposmocoma opuumaloo, found only on Mokumanamana and named from the Hawaiian opu‘u, cone, and malo‘o, dry, referring to its cone-shaped case and the island’s dry habitat (most cone-cased species in the Main Hawaiian Islands are aquatic)
• Hyposmocoma mokumana, found on Mokumanamana and named for the island
• Hyposmocoma nihoa, found on Nihoa and named for the island
• Hyposmocoma kikokolu, found on Nihoa and named from the Hawaiian kiko, spot, and kolu, three, referring to the three spots on its forewing
• Hyposmocoma menehune, found on Nihoa and named for the nocturnal Hawaiian legendary menehune
• Hyposmocoma papahanau, found on Nihoa and named after Papahanaumokuakea
© Jan TenBruggencate 2009
"
The Hawaiian islands are connected, not only geologically, but with an intricate web of life.This fact has been reestablished in the past week with the announcement of the discovery of a series of closely related moths on three islands of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands—moths that have been evolving in the Islands for 30 million years.
(Image: The eight new species of moths from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Source: NOAA.)
The moths are new to science, but this kind of connectivity is not.
In the wet forests of the Island, the alani or melicope species are an example. The various species are clearly related, even to an untrained eye. They tend to have large waxy leaves that form a fat oval. They tend to be leggy. Small, delicate flowers.
They are very much the same in many ways. And different.
A Kaua'i species, mokihana, has the famous anise scent, which the other species lack. The four-parted seed pods are tightly closed in some species, but the seed cases spread out like petals on a bloom in others.
There are the cave spiders, hunting spiders with less-developed eyes on the older islands than on the younger ones.
And forest birds with different colors and food preferences on different islands, but otherwise clearly closely related.
On and on. Cousins of a Molokai bug live on Kaua'i alongside bird cousins, plant cousins and so forth.
Perhaps what's most surprising about the new moths is that they have survived long enough to be found, not that they ever existed.
Reseachers Patrick Schmitz and Daniel Rubinoff announced their find in the journal Zootaxa: eight new members of the moth genus Hyposmocoma, all found within islands of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
The genus Hyposmocoma is unique to Hawai'i, but the group is well represented here, with more than 300 species, most of them on the major islands, and one previously known from the northwestern islands—from Necker or Mokumanamana. Some species are from the wet forest, some from aquatic habitats, and the new finds suggest that species have also evolved to handle very arid habitats of the low northwestern islands.
A monument press release included these quotations:
“This is a great snapshot of species endemism, one that indicates how species have evolved on islands throughout the whole archipelago over time,” said Rubinoff. “We are continuing our research now, but it is possible that the ancient ancestor of the now uniquely Hawaiian Hyposmocoma moths may have landed on a young Northwestern Hawaiian Island and evolved over millions of years into several lineages, which hopped down the island chain, spawning a diversity of species.”
“Although only a few of the lineages that were once on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are still holding on there now, these tiny atolls, in a former life, were the crucibles of one of the most diverse groups on the current High Islands. The species we described from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are the descendents of those original, and likely ancient, Hyposmocoma lineages and they have hung on, adapting over time to the islands’ current severe dry conditions. They are the survivors.”
“I am certain more species are waiting to be discovered in the Monument, since we’ve found hard evidence of their caterpillars and know them to be unique,” said Rubinoff. “We also know that Gardner Pinnacles has at least one endemic species and possibly more, but we just haven’t been able to get there yet to document it.”
Among the ways these creatures are distinguished from each other, besides their unique wing coloring, is that their larval cases have very different shapes.
The new species are:
• Hyposmocoma laysanensis, named after and found only on Laysan Island
• Hyposmocoma ekemamao, a larger species found only on Laysan Island and named for its purselike case (eke in Hawaiian) and the island’s remoteness (mamao in Hawaiian)
• Hyposmocoma opuumaloo, found only on Mokumanamana and named from the Hawaiian opu‘u, cone, and malo‘o, dry, referring to its cone-shaped case and the island’s dry habitat (most cone-cased species in the Main Hawaiian Islands are aquatic)
• Hyposmocoma mokumana, found on Mokumanamana and named for the island
• Hyposmocoma nihoa, found on Nihoa and named for the island
• Hyposmocoma kikokolu, found on Nihoa and named from the Hawaiian kiko, spot, and kolu, three, referring to the three spots on its forewing
• Hyposmocoma menehune, found on Nihoa and named for the nocturnal Hawaiian legendary menehune
• Hyposmocoma papahanau, found on Nihoa and named after Papahanaumokuakea
© Jan TenBruggencate 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Unanimous court backs Hawaii in ceded lands case (March 31, 2009)
Unanimous court backs Hawaii in ceded lands case (March 31, 2009): "
A unanimous Supreme Court held today that the state of Hawaii could sell 1.2 million acres of state land without resolving prior claims to that land by native Hawaiians. More...
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