The object of this is to solve the differential equation $latex {\frac{d^{3}}{d{x}^{3}}}y(x)-\mu\,\left(1-\left(y(x)\right)^{2}\right){\frac{d^{2}}{d{x}^{2}}}y(x)+2\,\mu\, y(x)\left({\frac{d}{dx}}y(x)\right)^{2}+{\frac{d}{dx}}y(x)=0 $ for the following boundary conditions and parameters: $latex \mu=\frac{1}{2}$ $latex y\left(0\right)=0$ $latex {\frac{d}{dx}}y(0)=\frac{1}{2}$ $latex y\left(2\right)=1$ Conventional wisdom would indicate that, because of the high order of the derivatives, this problem cannot be solved using a scalar implementation of simple shooting. However, …
What a Billionaire's Tax Means Depends Upon the Currency
The UN's latest idea for funding itself: The United Nations on Thursday called for a tax on billionaires to help raise more than $400 billion a year for poor countries. An annual lump sum payment by the super-rich is one of a host of measures including a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, currency exchanges or …
Continue reading "What a Billionaire's Tax Means Depends Upon the Currency"
A Geologic View of Old Florida and its Coral Reefs
While reading Grabau's 1913 Principles of Stratigraphy, I came across this fascinating description of the geology of Florida and its coral reefs. This is for the most part a summary of expeditions in the early 1850's by two of this country's pioneering geologists: Louis Agassiz and Joseph LeConte. In addition to the outline of the …
Continue reading "A Geologic View of Old Florida and its Coral Reefs"
A Tough (but Realistic) Assessment of a "Double-Minded Man", Rowan Williams
From Gerald Bray at the Churchman, the best wrap on the man and his role I have seen yet: The shipwreck of the Covenant brings us to the heart of Dr. Williams' long-term failure as archbishop. He sincerely wanted to keep the Anglican Communion together but believed that he could do this by political compromises …
Continue reading "A Tough (but Realistic) Assessment of a "Double-Minded Man", Rowan Williams"
An American Story for the Fourth of July
Generally speaking I stop this time of year and commemorate an event of which you, the reader of this blog, are the beneficiary (?). On 1 July 1997 I uploaded the pages of my first website, called then The Wave Equation Page for Piling and now vulcanhammer.net. I duly editorialised the tenth anniversary of that …
Two Score of Episcopal Ministry: My Response to a Dean's Reflections
I found retiring Dallas Episcopal Dean Kevin Martin's reflections on his long life in ministry fascinating, largely because his career span--to say nothing of his span as an Episcopalian--sweeps most of the enormous transformation that has taken place both in TEC (which was PECUSA when he started) and in the country at large. The question …
Continue reading "Two Score of Episcopal Ministry: My Response to a Dean's Reflections"
When It's Fashionable to be Cynical
Like now: President Obama spoke today at a campaign rally in Durham, New Hampshire. "You know, it's fashionable right now for people to be cynical. We go in cycles like this and right now a lot of people are saying "Oh, America is doing terribly" and "What are we going to do?"... Being cynical, however, …
The EU is Really Good at Undermining Certain Things
The head of the Global Forum on Migration and Development thinks they should be undermining their national identities: The EU should "do its best to undermine" the "homogeneity" of its member states, the UN's special representative for migration has said. Peter Sutherland told peers the future prosperity of many EU states depended on them becoming …
Continue reading "The EU is Really Good at Undermining Certain Things"
We Really Don't Need to Make a Religion Out of Science
This from the "godfather of global warming", among other things: Lovelock blasted greens for treating global warming like a religion. “It just so happens that the green religion is now taking over from the Christian religion,” Lovelock observed. “I don’t think people have noticed that, but it’s got all the sort of terms that religions …
Continue reading "We Really Don't Need to Make a Religion Out of Science"
Maybe the NAE Will Ruin Us After All
Things aren't going to plan in the vanguard against liberalism: It gets worse. In 2010, the NAE adopted a resolution seeking "common ground" and "fresh national dialogue" on the subject of reducing the number of abortions in the United States. Cizik's successor, Galen Carey, said at the time that partnering with notorious pro-abortion groups like …
Positive Infinity 