30 August 2019

[The Strenuous Life] Surviving Shia


[The Strenuous Life] First Aid I

NOTE: This post is written to satisfy the ‘Demonstrate treatment of an open wound,’ ‘Demonstrate the correct use of a tourniquet and explain when one should/should not be used.’ and ‘Explain the symptoms and treatment for shock’ requirements of the First Aid Badge

In addition to the badges, The Strenuous Life contains both daily and weekly challenges. The daily challenges include doing an hour of physical activity (typically just my daily workout), and doing a good deed (often satisfied by performing some volunteer work for or donating some money to the Effective Altruism movement). The weekly challenges are called Agons, and they range from physical fitness testing to giving a compliment every day for a week. While I don’t want to spoil them for anyone who hasn’t seen them, suffice to say that in addition to the badge requirements above this post also relates to an Agon I did ages ago.

I think it is worth prefacing this by noting that I am in no way a medical practitioner and this should in no way be interpreted as medical advice. If anything I say here contradicts a legitimate source, trust the other source (and please let me know so that I can update this post). The only way to really learn first aid is to get formal training with experienced instructors, which I strongly recommend for everyone.
In the remainder of this post, I will highlight some differences between civilian first aid (as it was taught to me) and military/survival first aid, explain how to treat open wounds, including when and how a tourniquet should be employed (including a brief demonstration on yours truly), and then outline the symptoms and treatment for shock.
If you’ve had any sort of formal first aid training in the past, it is very likely you’ve encountered some form of the ABCs. During my civilian first aid qualification course, I was taught DRSABCD Danger, Response, Send for Help, Airway, Breathing, Compressions, and Defribillation (a word which I am still yet to spell correctly on the first attempt). These steps are focused on keeping someone as stable as possible until advanced care arrives (in the form of paramedics/EMTs). Modern emergency services aim to keep the expected response time well under fifteen minutes in an urban areabut what if you aren’t in a modern urban area?

In extreme or remote situations, you may not be able to rely on fast first responders, and you may need to adjust your treatment priorities. In a combat first aid course, I was introduced to a variation on the ABCs: DRCABCDanger, Response, Catastrophic Haemorrhage (deal with major, life-threatening bleeding), Airway, Breathing, Circulation (deal with minor bleeding). Since then I’ve also come across the additional steps of D – Disability, and E – Evacuation, mostly pertaining to wilderness survival situations.
Todays post focuses on the ‘C’ of Catastrophic Haemorrage. Situations exist where exsanguination (bleeding to death) is the highest priority for first aid treatment, in particular if help is an uncertain or long distance away. If uncontrolled, rapid bleeding is occuring, than it should be your priority to control it. An important aside: It may be difficult for non-trained (or even trained) individuals to distinguish between bleeding that merely looks bad, versus bleeding that immediately threatens life, so I’ll reiterate my recommendation for formal training.
Today let’s use the highly plausible hypothetical posed by the classic song, Shia La Beouf. If you’ve not yet enjoyed this audiological wonder, please listen to it now.
So, for the purposes of this post we can assume that any Danger has been addressed (you’ve just beheaded the actual cannibal who caused your wound), checking for a Response is not necessary (as you are still conscious), and you can’t Send For Help (because you are lost in the woods and your phone is dead), and have now correctly identified that the bleeding must be immediately controlled. In a perfect world, you’ve also been able to put on your first aid gloves.

Looks pretty serious to me!


Before we can assess what level of treatment the bleeding requires, we have to fully expose the wound. Remove any clothing around the injury, cutting it where necessary. Note that if an object or clothing is embedded in the wound that it should be left in place, and you should simply remove as much clothing around it as possible. You should now have a better idea of the magnitude of the bleed. If upon getting a better look at the injured area you no longer assess the bleeding rate as critical, you should continue on with DRCABCDE.
However, if controlling the bleeding remains a top priority, you next apply firm, direct pressure to the wound site. Again, if in a perfect world you can apply a sterile gauze pad, but if that isn’t available, a makeshift bandage is far better than nothing. If this stops the bleeding, continue on with DRCABCDE.

Finally a good use for my Sophomore Orientation t-shirt
If you cannot stop the bleeding with direct pressure, and/or the dressing you have applied becomes soaked through with blood, you may need to apply a tourniquet.
The historically bad reputation of the tourniquet has been almost completely repaired. No longer seen as a last ditch attempt to stop bleeding that would almost certainly result in amputation, the tourniquet is now a standard part of the EMS/Combat medic tool kit. While an uncontrolled major hemorrhage can kill in minutes, a tourniquetted (OK I have even less idea how to spell this than deffib.. derberb.. that word I said earlier) limb is unlikely to suffer any lasting damage in less than two hours. That said, after this window closes, the likelihood of nerve damage and/or amputation begins to increase – which is less of a consideration in an urban environment, but could be extremely relevant in a wilderness survival situation.
The bottom line is, if bleeding from a limb won’t stop, or looks severe enough to cause rapid death – a tourniquet may be appropriate. This is a good point to remind everyone that I’m definitely not a medical expert of any sort, so please please please don’t substitute this advice for that of a real professional. If you want to learn first aid, I can’t recommend getting course qualified enough  (try here if you live in Australia).
Once the decision is made to use a tourniquet, you’ll need two components – something long, strong and strap-like to act as the tournique itself, as well as a torsion device to tighten it enough to stop the bleeding. You should probably also have something to hold the tightened torsion device in place, which can be the ends of the tourniquet itself or a separate item.

Axe only necessary if you must behead a cannibal prior to administering first aid.

The tourniquet should be applied two inches closer to the body than the wound, except where that would place it over a joint – in which case it should be applied just above the joint. After you’ve identified the application site, wrap the tourniquet around the limb and tie it once with a simple overhand knot. Then place the torsion device over the knot, and secure it with a double overhand knot.

This is not a very helpful photo, in retrospect.
Rotate the torsion device until the bleeding from the wound below the tourniquet stops completely (this will likely be painfully tight). Finally, secure the torsion device in place, most likely by tying it to the upper limb. Immediately write the current time somewhere on the tourniquet – this can be vitally important triage information when medical assistance arrives.

My foot was completely numb at this stage, and I didn't even fully tighten the damn thing.
Now that the first ‘C’ has been addressed, finish up the mnemonic – ensure the victim has a clear Airway and is still Breathing (in the hypothetical here, you are impressively still conscious so can safely skim through this check). The next ‘C’ is notionally Circulation, but my understanding is it really references the diagnosis and treatment of any other less urgent conditions. If the victim has just suffered bleeding severe enough to require a tourniquet, odds are good they are also going to be suffering from shock (hypovolemic shock, in this case).
Shock can have many causes, but each displays similar system (associated with a drop in blood pressure and general not-OK-ness). Cool, clammy, or even blue tinged skin, physical weakness and mental confusion, rapid breathing, and eventually unconsciousness all point to shock. Ultimately proper medical treatment is enormously important (I mean, it already was in this situation thanks to the tourniquet), but as a first aider the best you can do is recline the victim on the back, potentially elevating their feet (I found mixed reviews of this as a treatment), keep them warm with blankets, and if they are able to take fluids, slowly hydrate them.
In a real wilderness survival stuation, you’d now develop a plan for contacting/finding help (that’s the Disability and Evacuation section of our acronym). I’ll likely cover some of the basics of Wilderness Survival in another post (you guessed it, for another badge). But for now at least – you’re finally safe from Shia LaBeouf.

01 October 2018

30 Things (Updates & Revisions IV)

In 2010 I set a list of thirty goals for myself to accomplish before I turn thirty. While I’ve made good progress on many of the goals, I have yet to complete many of them – and with my 30th looming in under a year, this will be the final revision to the list. I’ve had to drop a number of goals that realistically cannot be accomplished by next July 17th, and which will form the foundation of my ‘40 before 40’ list. These have been replaced, as have some others which are no longer important goals to me.
Previous Versions:
The 30 & the Things
2-30 2-Things
30 Things: Tokyo Drift
30 Things
Which by the world’s most sensible sequel numbering system makes this post ‘35’.
Moved to ‘40 before 40’
  • Learn to play an instrument
  • Travel to Uluru
  • Purchase some land
  • Te Araroa
  • Visit every continent: 5/7 - I am missing Africa and Antarctic
  • Write a novel
  • Learn a martial art
  • Read the Gateway to 'The Great Books' (and the Great Books themselves)
Totally Incomplete (9/30)
  • Propose to a woman
  • Learn this by my 30th birthday on guitar, so I can subject you all to a live performance (replaced the more ambitious, ‘Learn to Play an Instrument’)
  • Eat at a Three Hatted restaurant
  • Road trip Across Australia (replaced ‘Travel to Uluru’ simply due to a change in logistics)
  • Get a Fitted Suit (new, but not replacing anything in particular)
  • Grow and eat my own food
  • Walk 50mi in 20h (replaced ‘Hike Te Araroa’ as both a Strenuous Life goal, and a good hiking alternative)
  • Craft Something (new, but not replacing anything in particular)
  • Host dinner party (4+ guests, 4+ courses) (new, but not replacing anything in particular)
  • Start Lucid Dreaming again (new, but not replacing anything in particular)
  • Get a DNA test (new, but not replacing anything in particular)
In Progress (6/30)
  • Still Omitted: Progress slow and boring
  • Get a tattoo: Design is picked so I need to actually take some time and find a good place to get it done - maybe this summer.
  • Get a PhD
  • Put together a GOOD bag and BOAT
Completed (15/30)
  • Become a member of the ADF (Reserve)
  • Save (in some form) at least $15,000 (AUS)
  • Go on a date without regard to cost
  • Give blood
  • Omitted and completed
  • Give away or sell all my excess junk after graduation
  • See a country music act live in concert
  • Have a research paper published (several now!)
  • Drive a car faster than 100 mph
  • Fly in a helicopter
  • Cook my way through a cookbook
  • Spend a week in the woods: Field portion of my last training block
  • Learn to ride something with 4 legs or less than 4 wheels: Know how to ride a motorbike (though still need to buy my permit)
  • Swim naked in the Pacific Ocean (finally!)
  • Omitted and completed (was on my original list, then removed, then re-added and completed – what a thrilling rollercoaster)

18 October 2017

[The Strenuous Life] Easy Rider Badge I


NOTE: For anyone who missed my last piece about [The Strenous Life] tagged posts, read it before this one! This post is written to satisfy the "Name basic types of motorcycles and features" requirement for the ‘Easy Rider’ badge.


The ‘Easy Rider’ badge on the Strenous Life is (unsurprisingly) focused around getting one’s motorcycle license. I know how to ride reasonably well, and own a motorcycle , and even had my learner’s permit for a year. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time or money to take the licensing test when I first got it. Thanks to the New South Wales government, there is no way to renew a permit without forking out a stack of cash and spending two days doing remedial review on how to start a motorcycle and similar things. The upshot is that I’ll have to wait until I’ve got a paying job and a weekend to burn re-learning the basics to start working toward my license again.

For now I’ve had to settle for learning a bit about motorcycles, and how to operate and maintain them. This has included some more general mechanical knowledge (I finally know what a carburetor does), and random motorcycle specifics (like why two-strokes need oil mixed in with their fuel). In this series of posts I’ll be summarizing the six main types of motorcycles, listing the major mechanical components and controls that make them go VROOOOM, and briefly describing the pre-ride inspection as it applies to my own bike.

I call her Kira


Without further ado, lets dig into the different types of motorcycles. According to Wikipedia (or rather, the four sources that Wikipedia points to), the most widely recognized classes are Standard, Cruiser, Touring, Sport, Dual-sport, and Offroad. There are also the various sub-categories of scooter, which won’t be covered here.

My own bike is a standard or “naked” bike, which disappointingly has nothing to do with whether or not I need to be clothed to ride it (always wear your full safety gear, kiddos). These bikes are characterized by a lack of fairings (the sleek-looking bits that cover the front end of sportier motorcycles), no windscreens, and an upright riding position where one’s shoulders are above the hips. Great for beginners, they are the vanilla ice cream of motorcycles.

So much cooler than me

This makes choppers, like the Goldblumobile from Nashville, those weird Ben & Jerry's flavours that cost $50 a pint. They come in all shapes and sizes, but generally are a cut-down and customized (‘chopped’) version of a production cruiser, our second type of motorcycle. Cruisers still lack fairings and windscreens, but unlike naked bikes the riding position is leaning-back, with the riders feet forward and hands up. They tend to have low-end torque (meaning less shifting gears at low speed), but wind against the rider’s chest can make riding them at high speeds tiring. Ideal for, well, cruising.

But what if you are really looking for a small, non-sporty, two-wheeled convertible, with the top always down? Enter the touring bike. Typically with both fairings and windscreens, these bikes provide relatively good weather and wind protection. The riding position on touring bikes is relaxed and upright, which combined with the large fuel tanks means long distance travel is both possible and comfortable. Ample storage space has earned these bikes several (not entirely complimentary) nicknames: bagger, full bagger, dresser, full dresser, and full dress tourers.

Although this one prefers to be called 'Steve'

On the other hand, if you want the vroomiest vroom out of your bike, you are probably better served by getting a Sport motorcycle. Like the touring bike, sport bikes have windscreens and fairings, but - and this a critically important distinction - much cooler looking windscreens and fairings. Instead of sitting upright like a chump, you ride leaning forward, with your legs up and back, and your arms reached out in front of you. This position allows the wind resistance to actually support your body at high speeds, and makes it easier to take those ridiculous racing corners where your knees almost scrape the ground. These bikes are way too cool for me, and I’ll probably never own one.

The remaining two bike types are slightly different from the others. While the previous types have all been designed with various road-uses in mind – dirt bikes are for the roads less travelled (the ones that aren’t actually roads). The dual-purpose/dual-sport bike is either an off-road worthy naked bike, or a road-worthy dirt bike (and more commonly the latter, from what I am given to understand).

So there we have it – six types of bikes. For the next two posts on this topic (going over parts and controls, and the pre-ride inspection), I’ll be focusing on my own bike – a 2006 Honda VTR250, but will try to note where significant different possibilities exist. Or not, it’s my blog after all and I can be as capricious and inconsistent as I like.

05 May 2017

[The Strenuous Life] The Strenuous Life


TLDR: This post is about a new self-improvement platform I’m beta testing called ‘The Strenuous Life’; if that is of no interest to you, then what do you think of this?. The bottom line is that you can safely ignore posts with [The Strenuous Life] prefixed to the title, unless you want a glimpse into some of the stuff I’m learning in my spare time.
“Let those who have, keep, let those who have not, strive to attain, a high standard of cultivation and scholarship. Yet let us remember that these stand second to certain other things. There is a need of a sound body, and even more of a sound mind. But above mind and above body stands character – the sum of those qualities which we mean when we speak ofa man’s force and courage, of his good faith and sense of honor.” - Theodore Roosevelt (Citizenship in a Republic)
I made my first (cringe-inducing) post on this blog a little under seven years ago. I probably could not have fully expressed my reasons at the time, but the creation of a new blog was just a minor component of a larger effort of self-improvement that began when I graduated high school.

PICTURED: Awkward Chubby Nerd

Don’t get me wrong – I actually had a great time being an awkward chubby nerd, and I spent many an enjoyable afternoon playing Halo 2, Magic, and/or Dungeons and Dragons instead of doing whatever it was the cool kids did
 (Drinking? Going to pep rallies? Hanging out at the pep rally drinking and singing show tunes?).

PICTURED: Cool Kids, probably

But I certainly wasn’t living my best of all possible lives – and I knew it. The main reason I was so eager to graduate early was because going to university represented an opportunity to re-invent myself, and start becoming the man I wanted to be.

PICTURED: The Man I Want to Be

I discovered the Art of Manliness blog soon after I arrived at uni, and have been following it ever since. It provides consistently high quality content on a wide range of topics, which almost always correlates well with my own self-improvement goals. Recently Brett McKay, the founder of AoM, launched a new project called ‘The Strenuous Life’; it’s a sort of a self-paced online gamified Scouts program for adults, complete with physical badges available for completing various requirements. This is definitely my bag, so I was thrilled to be one of the 150 accepted into the beta testing “Red Team” for the last couple months.

The badges cover a huge range of skills/topics - from ‘Sharpshooter’ to ‘Orator’ to ‘Kiss the Chef’ - and have all sorts of requirements - including reading (‘Read “Citizenship in a Republic”'), writing (‘Describe the different types of motorcycle’), and physical effort (‘Walk 50 mi. in 24 hours’). There are also daily check-ins for exercise and good-deed-doing, and weekly challenges (‘Take a 5’ cold shower every day’). The format is going to change somewhat before it goes live, so I won’t go into any more detail until I see the final form, but I can say that as it currently exists (1) I find it extremely motivating, and (2) I endorse it completely for anyone seeking broad-based self-improvement.

Now, I’ve been working through a few of these badges in my pomodoro breaks and have decided that the most efficient/self-motivating way to do the writing tasks is to structure them as blog posts. While my blog posts are frequently rambling self-indulgent drivel written primarily for my own amusement, usually they are at least original rambling self-indulgent drivel. Those that will be going up with [The Strenuous Life] tag are most often going to be a summary of information easily obtainable from other sources, so may be of even less interest than my typical fare. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Stay tuned for the next Strenuous Life post, where I attempt to learn all about motorcycles (for the ‘Easy Rider’ badge).

“I live The Strenuous Life.
I train for harmony in body, mind, and soul.
I am strong to be useful.
I choose action over abstraction.
I do hard things.
I live The Strenuous Life.”

01 December 2016

A Song of Supply and Demand


I write themed final exam review for the Economics course I tutor, because I am a huge nerd. Now you can enjoy some Game of Thrones themed Economics problems while you wait for Season 7.

Congratulations! You have been appointed the Master of Coin, and now sit on the King’s small council – one of the most influential positions in all of Westeros. However, such a position of power is always a precarious one, so ensure you deal with the following problems carefully!

A Game of Loans
The Hand of the King wishes to host a tournament celebrating the King’s upcoming birthday, and has decreed a rise in income taxes from 10% to 20% in order to supply the prize money. You have some money put away in the Iron Bank of Braavos earning 10% interest, and inflation is consistently 1%. What will the effective tax rate be on your real interest, both before and after the Hand’s tax increase?

A Basket of Things
The visiting Warden of the West is concerned at the increasing cost of living in Casterly Rock, bringing along his Maester and a set of figures representing the consumption and price of various consumer goods from both this year and last year.

Last year, citizens bought:
  • 10000 loaves of bread at 1 copper stars each
  • 1000 barrels of wine at 100 copper stars each
  • 5000 pounds of meat at 10 copper stars per pound
This year, citizens bought:
  • 10000 loaves of bread at 2 copper stars each
  • 2000 barrels of wine at 110 copper stars each
  • 6000 pounds of meat at 15 copper stars per pound.

The King asks that you calculate the CPI in both years, and the inflation rate, and show your work & results to the Lannister Lord.

A Store of Swords
The King’s least favourite cousin wishes to start up his own sword shop in Oldtown, but has no idea how to run a business, as evidenced by the failure of his previous six shops. He claims he can obtain swords at 3 golden dragons each, and wants the King to grant him a local monopoly to ensure good business. The Master of Whisperers has managed to obtain the following information relating to demand for swords in Oldtown.
Price
Quantity Demanded
Total Revenue
Marginal Revenue
Marginal Cost
Total Cost
Profit
10
10










9
15










8
20










7
30










6
40










5
60










4
80










3
110










2
150










1
200












The King orders that you complete the table and find the profit maximization point so his halfwit cousin isn’t driven out of business (again). What would the price likely be if the King decides not to grant a local monopoly?

The Wines of Winter
Winter is coming, and despite their political troubles, all of the Seven Kingdoms want to stock up on fine Arbor wines (in anticipation of decreased supply during the winter years). Draw a supply and demand diagram showing what happens.

The Grand Maester is alarmed at the rapidly changing price of wine, and suggests issuing a proclamation freezing the price of Arbor Red. Show on the diagram what is likely to occur, and explain to the Grand Maester what these consequences will be.

How might wine-makers and wine-buyers react to the resulting Shortage/Surplus? What other rationing methods might come into play?

01 November 2016

30 Things (Updates & Revisions III)

Several years ago I set a list of thirty goals for myself to accomplish before I turn thirty and have to think of an even more ridiculous list of forty items. The list has gone through several iterations as my goals change or (more rarely) actually get accomplished.

30 Things: The Original Series
30 Things: The Next Generation
30 Things: Deep Space 9

And now presenting everyone's second least favorite installment:

30 Things: Voyager!

Totally Incomplete (8/30)
  • Propose to a woman
  • Learn to play an instrument passably well: All I've really done is stated a vague intention to purchase a guitar - and I really want to learn this by my 30th birthday so I can subject you all to a live performance
  • Eat at a Three Hatted restaurant (I mean at least I know that high end restaurants have hats and not stars now - progress?)
  • Travel to Uluru
  • Swim naked in the Pacific Ocean: I'm actually really surprised this hasn't happened yet
  • Purchase some land
  • Grow and eat my own food (Herbs count and are the most likely method by which I will achieve this goal)
In Progress (9/30)
  • Te Araroa: Newly added to the list, and trip planning is well underway (to occur starting in late 2018)
  • Visit every continent: 5/7 - I am missing Africa and Antarctica. Africa will likely be a vacation in a couple years, but I'm seriously considering applying for jobs in Antarctica post-PhD
  • Still Omitted:  Progress slow and boring
  • Get a tattoo: Design is picked so I need to actually take some time and find a good place to get it done - maybe this summer.
  • Write a novel: I've gotten an outline written, but all my writing time at the moment is focused in on my PhD, so won't get to make any more headway on this until next year.
  • Get a PhD: Big deadline coming up this month - on track if I meet it, and in deep trouble if I don't. Wish me luck!
  • Become proficient in a martial art: Really need to get cracking on this one - should get a start within the next year and then specify a more specific definition of proficiency.
  • Read the Gateway to 'The Great Books' - note that I've gradually reduced the ambition of this goal (from the whole Great Books to half to just the introductory series). This is largely a symptom of the sheer length of my reading list! I'll make reading the whole series a part of my '40 before 40' goals.
  • Become fit enough to pass this
  • Put together a GOOD bag and BOAT: Started putting them back together, but don't have all the items, and relatively low priority to purchase.
Completed (13/30)
  • Become a member of the ADF (Reserve)
  • Save (in some form) at least $15,000 (AUS)
  • Go on a date without regard to cost
  • Give blood: I now give semi-regularly (Plasma and Whole)
  • Omitted and completed: With bonus subsequent mountain climb
  • Give away or sell all my excess junk after graduation
  • See a country music act live in concert
  • Have a research paper published: Still here, second one here, third and fourth coming soon!
  • Drive a car faster than 100 mph
  • Fly in a helicopter
  • Cook my way through a cookbook (Done with much thanks to Sarah for the assistance!)
  • Spend a week in the woods: Field portion of my last training block
  • Learn to ride something with 4 legs or less than 4 wheels: Got a motorbike and a permit (still really need to get my full licence though)
Given that I now have less than three years to complete the remainder of this list, I need to get cracking!

03 October 2016

The First Annual Austen Erickson Intellectual Audit


Dear Friends,

I occasionally reflect that my blog resembles the noble tardigrade. A small creature, surprisingly adorable yet still slightly horrifying, and which has the ability to revive itself after many months (or even years) of apparent death.



Left: Adorable tummy-rubby floof; Right: NIGHTMARE SURPRISE

In honor of its current resurrection from cryptoblogosis, I'd like to try something which I've tossed around in my head for a few years: an intellectual audit of my belief system carried out with the assistance of you all - my brilliant friends with whom I frequently disagree about a variety of topics.

This is still an experimental process, and I hope to refine it considerably in future years, but the basic idea is to spend some dedicated time challenging my strongly held beliefs, and exploring deeper into areas in which I still have weak beliefs and/or sparse knowledge. This will necessarily be an incomplete audit (like most people I believe many things about many things), but I hope that it moves my beliefs closer to True (or rather, appropriately increases or decreases my confidence in them).

Below is a (somewhat haphazard) list of broad belief systems I approximately subscribe to, specific beliefs I hold, and some unanswered questions I haven't been able to find a sufficiently convincing answer to.

I'm looking for encompassing refutations or alternate belief systems I should consider, specific challenges or counter-examples, and any evidence one way or another that I may not be aware of. (NB: published evidence > expert opinion > personal opinion, consequentialist arguments preferable but not required - anything is welcome)

Importantly - I am NOT trying to start a debate! This is a (purely selfish) exercise in updating my own beliefs (though I will make every effort to give you my own thoughts if you run the same exercise).

I look forward to your thoughtful responses, safe in the knowledge that no one is ever unreasonable on the internet.
  1. Libertarianism: What are some cases where more government might be better than less (or some better than none)?
  2. Transhumanism: I want to learn more about this topic and would love any good primers (laudatory or critical) that people could recommend.
  3. Many-Worlds: I admit that my belief is mostly based on the LW Quantum Physics Sequence, so I'd be eager to see similarly intuitive explanations of alternative interpretations of quantum mechanics.
  4. Intermittent Fasting: I incorporate occasional (up to 24-hour) fasts into my diet. At the very least this seems to reduce my total caloric intake - is it likely to have other health benefits/risks?
  5. Exchange-Traded Index Funds: Most of my long term saving goes into various low-fee ETFs. Can I realistically be doing better (given that I don't want to spend a lot of thought/energy on this)?
  6. Existential Risk vs. Efficient Charity: I would like some advice on how I should be splitting my charitable donations between efficient charities (i.e. Against Malaria Foundation) that have concrete effects now, and non-profits that focus on existential risk (e.g. MIRI)
  7. Nuclear Fission: Currently, its the safest, greenest, and most efficient form of electrical power generation that exists. Am I right?
  8. What supplements should I be taking? (Nootropics, and for physical health)
  9. What is the current state of cyronics in Australia? Is it worth signing up for with an international provider or best to wait until there is a local facility?
  10. If I wanted to start teaching myself more about architecture, what are the best introductory texts?

A FINAL NOTE: I encourage all of you to perform your own intellectual audit! Make sure you link back to this post to help feed my insatiable ego (and let me know so I can share some knowledge your way!)

18 May 2015

Infinity, and Beyond

To usher in what will no doubt be another sporadic year of blogging* (though I hope to considerably beat the three posts I managed in 2014), I'm bringing you for the first time online a very silly and not entirely un-amusing tale I wrote back in 2002 at the tender age of 12 and the height of my 'random = hilarious' phase (featuring even more excessive usage of parenthetical statements than I am guilty of currently).

This story has a great deal of meaning to me, as I received some very wise input from my older sister Inger while putting it together. Inger always supported my creative projects, and was a constant source of constructive criticism and inspiration. If I ever manage to publish a book, it will be in large part thanks to her teaching me that my own weird voice was worth writing down.

As with all the childhood stuff I've uploaded, I've made only minor edits for spelling and grammar with editorial comments in [square brackets]. Please forgive the juvenile humour of my youth as generously as you forgive the juvenile humour of my adulthood.

*Do people still say blogging?

Infinity, and Beyond
by Austen Erickson

Prologue - The Joruney Begins

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (well, actually it was a few hundred years in the future, in New York, New Jersey)...

STAR BUCKS

Outlet LCXIIXIVLLCIXX

The gazillionth Starbucks outlet opened to the horror of earth's citizens; now every car dealer, clothing warehouse, fast (and slow) food joint, and 70% of every other franchise (not to mention coffee), was under control of The Evil Star Bucks Empire (R). A brave rebellion led by Global-Omni-Time-Warner-McMicrosoft was beginning in the far north, but the citizens of New York, New Jersey (New York, by this time, had encompassed the entire Eastern coastline) had had enough. The citizens of The Far North East part of New York, New Jersey decided to form a union and leave the earth in search of a new, pristine world, to colonize and exploit.

They broke open all their piggy banks and somehow managed to raise enough money to build a spacecraft for the interstellar journey. It was called the A.Y.T. (As Yet un-Titled) Spaceship. It was fitted with a cyro-sleep system, which put the user into a state of suspended animation; it looked like a soda machine for no discernable reason [haha 'soda machine' so random... stupid young Austen]. The outside of the ship was painted in a sort of eight-week-old-banana color. It was as large as the Statue of Liberty and had the most sophisticated light drive system available. All in all it should have taken them about twenty years to complete their journey to the sun's nearest neighbor, Alpha Centauri,where it was believed there was not one, not three, but two habitable planets. They had already established a system of government: all the rejects, criminals, and lawyers [haha lawyers are bad... shut up kid] would be sent to the second, less inviting planet, named Centuri Secundus. Everyone else would be on the first planet, Centuri Prime.

Unfortunately, the people who staffed much of the crew neglected to appoint anyone who could use the light drive system. This was discovered slightly after they left the solar system, but before they sobered up from the celebrations. Thankfully, a car enthusiast rigged a makeshift engine made of pinball machine parts and a stripped down Subaru Outback. Just before they went into cyro-sleep the First Mate approached the Captain, "Sir, there is a problem with the new engines."
"What is it Number One," the Captain slurred his words, still tipsy from the party. [haha a drunken Patrick Stewart... actually, that is still quite funny - well done] "Make it quick, I'm going to have a hell of a hangover when I get out of cyro-sleep."
"They will take us a little longer to get there."
"How much longer... exactly?"
"About 100 times the original projected amount," the First Mate mumbled meekly.
"Oh good," the Captain's brow furrowed as he attempted the complex arithmetic, "Let's see, two and one are three, carry the one, divide by the square root... or is it multiply?"
"Actually sir, it will take us roughly 2000 years."
"Oh good," repeated the captain, and he toppled backwards into his cyro-sleep pod

Chapter 1 - Just a Minor Setback

1999 years 11 months and 30 days later...

As the ship tumbled onwards into space, a red light began to bleep on the cyro-sleep control on the bridge. No-one heeded it, there was no-one to see it, but ass it blinked, it was joined by others until the entire bridge was covered with lights and huge alarm signals began to sound.

The Captain awoke to the sound of commotion on the deck, "What's happening, where am I?"
The First Mate ran over to pull the Captain out of his pod, "There has been a problem, and the crew was automatically awakened. We found out the extended warranty on the ship ran out several hours ago - it's falling apart!"
"Bugger. Awake the citizens and bring them to the briefing room."
The First Mate turned to leave. "Wait," exclaimed the Captain. The First Mate turned back. "Get me some aspirin, I have a hell of a hangover."

The Captain faced the crew and civilians. He calmly explained the problem and gave instructions on what to do next. His exact words were "THE SHIP IS FALLING APART!!! EVERYONE GET TO AN ESCAPE POD OR WERE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!" as an afterthought he added "CHILDREN AND CAPTAINS FIRST!!!!!"
He then shoved the First Mate aside and sprinted down the hallway to the escape pods.

As the last escape pod broke away from the ship, the First Mate turned and inspected those on his pod. There was the man who had designed the M.P.S. (Makeshift Propulsion System), the ships' cook, and the martial arts instructor and her assistant. He decided to debrief those in his pod:
"As you know, the mission has been split men." The martial arts instructor, Kara, cleared her throat loudly. "And women," the First Mate corrected himself. "We must work together if we hope to reach the new planet alive and build a civilization. We have lost radio contact with the other ships, we are on our..." his words were cut short as the A.Y.T. Spaceship exploded loudly.
Before the First Mate could gather his wits to continue, Joe, the car enthusiast who designed the M.P.S. spoke up, "How exactly, does something make noise in an almost complete vacuum? And how come our ship had gravity? And why exactly is our ship filled with stereotypical characters and bad cliches..."
"Shut up!!!" blurted out Enrico, the cook, "I wanta to know how long it's gonna takes us to get there, please, what about you, please, yes?"
"How come you talk like that?" asked the First Mate.
"Yes, my English is not good, please"
"That's what I mean!" interjected Joe.
"Now that you mention it," the First Mate continued, ignoring Joe, "it should take us a few hours to get there."

As the crew of Pod 389 gossiped, the Captain was similarly examining those on his pod...

Chapter 2 - Hangover

"Row, Row, Row your boat, gently down the stream! If you see a crocodile, don't forget to scream. AHHHHH!!"
"SHUT UP!!!" the Captain bellowed. "Can't you see I have a hangover???" The singing was emanating from two brothers sitting in a larger corner of the escape pod, taking up most if it. The ship's doctor, along with the Captain, were huddled on the other side. Fred, the doctor, finished examining the Captain and began his prognosis.
"Through a freak co-incidence resulting from cyro-sleep, it appears that your nausea, headache, and sensitivity to visual and auditory stimuli will not improve in your lifespan."
"Wha..??" burbled the Captain.
"Your hangover is permanent."
"Damn," cursed the Captain, "We're going to need more aspirin."
"Oh, I've got stacks," came a quiet voice from a pile of empty milk cartons, "You could have some of mine for a price, uh, I mean, that is, you can have it for free if you let us stay."
"Who are you?" inquired the doctor suspiciously.
"Actually, I'm a stowaway, but my friends call me Mick. Everyone else calls me Douglas J. Trenton, although I haven't the faintest idea why. I'm what some people call an opportunist. I co-founded my small, and perfectly legal, I assure you, business."
"Who is your partner? And why are you here?"
Mick looked somewhat sad. "Actually, the answer to both questions are the same." He gestured to the pile and everyone noticed a pointy hat protruding. It abruptly rose and revealed a small, rather dazed, and smiling man underneath. "He thinks he's magic," whispered Mick helpfully.

"Hello," said the new arrival. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm being pursued by a flock of cucumbers." He sank to the ground and started muttering to himself, a smirk on his face all the while.
"What's he talking about?" demanded the Captain.
"Actually, that's about as coherent as Mr. Stadler gets." Mick said with a sigh.
"How on earth did he make you come here?"
"Well, it's a long story, and it doesn't really take place on earth."
"We do have time, you know. Say, did I hear you mention aspirin a minute ago? I have a terrible hangover."

Mick chose to ignore this, and started his story:
"It all started some time ago, and before we begin, I should tell you I'm not human. At least not in the strictest sense of the word..."

Chapter 3 - Mick's Story

"As you might already know, my companion Mr. Stadler perceives reality in a rather different way. Some might even venture the word 'crazy.'  Nonetheless, he had money and wanted adventure, and I wanted money and had enough adventure for anybody. We eventually came to an agreement: he would provide funding for my research and I would find a way to get off our home planet and take him with me, exploring the galaxy.

You would probably be interested to know that several million years ago your moon was teeming with life. That's what we called home those days. Anyway, I set up a research center in one of the craters and began trying to find a way to travel through space at high speeds. Eventually I did,although not in the way you might expect. One day I was trying to find a way to make a liquid that my equipment suggested had an enormous amount of potential energy into fuel. I tried again and again to find a catalyst when suddenly, wouldn't you know, Mr. Stadler dropped a bottle of aspirin into the liquid 'Just to see what would happen' as he said later.

After the dust settled we found the testing chamber completely demolished. It turns out that my partner had finally discovered a way to efficiently produce enough energy to travel across vast amounts of space in seconds. After further, more careful experiments, we - well mainly me - discovered that a drop of liquid mixed with one aspirin tablet would produce enough energy to travel at six times the speed of light for a minute - that's six light years in a minute! [NOTE: I was aware that this was nonsense when I wrote it, and wanted to convey Mick's utter incompetence, but in retrospect the 'joke' might have been too subtle.]

We got a prototype ship working in a few days and took off. We traveled the galaxy until we reached the center. Our scanners picked up a subspace fluctuating anomaly, which is the fancy way of saying that they hadn't the faintest idea of what it was. We got closer to what we now know was some form of black hole. Unfortunately we didn't know then, and so we ventured just close enough to get sucked in. We were spewed out through a white hole, quite near our own solar system. What most people don't know is that for every black hole there is a white hole, and anything sucked in through the black is shot out the white one. Anyway, we crashed onto our home only to find it a barren and unforgiving landscape.

In desperation we made a small pod out of the debris and managed to launch ourselves into orbit around your earth. When we reached the surface we found it quite a long time in the future. I hypothesized that traveling through the black hole must have caused this jump into time. I think that what we saw in that hole may have some significance, it was..." [Aaaaand just about now I believe that the assignment deadline was looming so close that I abandoned my unfortunate foray into science fiction, and dove headlong into the absurd.]

Mick's words were cut short as a blast rocked the pod. Everyone peered out the windows.
"What is it?" asked the doctor in awe. Everyone stared at the black and white ship, somewhat avian in appearance, as it finished strafing the fleet of escape pods and turned back for another run.

Chapter 4 - The Penguins Attack

"Battle stations!" shouted the First Mate.
"What battle stations?" complained Joe, "That line is just another cliche!"
"SHUT UP!" shouted everyone.
"What I meant was," explained the First Mate, "find something to do that will help us!"
"Yes! Man the cannons! Please!" suggested Enrico, sprinting to one of the Laser control booths.
"Woman the cannons!" corrected Kara with equal enthusiasm, as she took her place at the other contorl booth.
"Power up the shields!" exclaimed her assistant, as she did just that.
"Take evasive action!" blurted out Joe, finally getting into the spirit of things.
As the crew bustled around getting ready to fight, the First Mate stood in the center of the deck shouting directions.
"We're being hailed on the radio, all ships are receiving the same message," said Kara.
"On screen," said the First Mate.

The screen crackled to life. A penguin appeared with a Napoleonic three-point hat and an array of medals attached to his chest. As he quacked, the universal translator took effect.
"Greetings, weak humans. We are the Galactic Penguin Empire, and we hereby declare you our prisoners."
The Captain's response could be heard over the radio "Over my dead body!" The Captain's pod swooped towards the Penguin Battleship, lasers blazing. The penguin general paused only momentarily before saying, or rather quacking, "Your offer is acceptable."
An icicle shaped projectile fired out of the enemy ship's beak. It streaked towards the Captain's pod and hit it straight on. The ship froze solid and began drifting away.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" screamed the First Mate.
"Yeeeeeeesssssssssssss!!!!!" mocked the penguin.
The First Mates face hardened and he switched to a friend only frequency. "All ships attack full firepower, on my command. I'm going after the captain. NOW!"

The entire fleet of escape pods flew in towards the Penguin Mother Ship simultaneously. The Penguin Ship's beak opened again and waves of smaller penguin fighters launched out [Trust me, this looked really cool in my head]. As the firefight continued, the First Mate and his crew sped toward the Captain's crippled ship, hoping they could get there in time.

Chapter 6 - The Battle for Centauri Prime

As lasers and icicles streaked across space, immobilizing dozens of ships on either side, the First Mate sped toward the Captain's frozen ship. Once they arrived, they docked their ship to the Captain's and boarded. They peered around, expecting to see devastation. Instead, they found the crew huddled around a campfire coming from a tin can in the midst of the ship. Two people who the First Mate did not recognize were sitting around the fire. The one with the pointy had walked up to them.
"Well pickle me tink!" he chuckled, "If it isn't my old pal Mr. Groucho!" He collapsed to the ground in a giggling heap.
The second stranger came up to them also, "I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive Mr. Stadler's behavior. I'm Mick, pleased to meet you." He thrust out his hand.
"Er... nice to meet you too," the First Mate tried not to look surprised. "Say, you aren't the one's who set up that campfire are you?"
"As a matter of fact I am, I call it the 'Campfire-in-a-Can.'"
"I see."
At this point the Captain interjected, "I hate to interrupt the festivities, but it appears we're winning."
Once again all eyes peered out the ice-covered windows.

Several penguin ships were forming a pyramid shaped formation and charging up, but a single escape pod ran headlong into the first one, sending them all flying in different directions. More penguin ships surrounded and converged on the escape pod, but it merely sped off in a different direction causing a spectacular traffic jam. It was obvious that the penguins had lost, their battered ships flew back into the open beak and the mother ship turned and sped off into the distance until it was merely a distant receding dot, and then nothing at all.

Epilogue - Ever After

The Human Colony on Centuri Prime was prospering well, with a second colony being built not far away. Although the Penguins frequently attacked from Centuri Secundus, with the aid of Mick's technology they drove them off easily every time. The doctor found a good suppressant for the Captain's hangover made with native plant life. The First Mate was elected the Planetary Governor. News reached the colonies that the Starbucks Empire had been defeated and the world was a democracy once more. More ships were on their way with more building materials, a much needed soda shipment, and due to a typographical error, fourteen cats and a Scottish terrier. It seemed a bright future for humanity, and Joe, by now having embraced the spirit of cliches, stepped into the alien sunset to utter those famous words and thus end the story:

"And they all lived happily ever after, The End."

16 July 2014

30 Things (Update & Revisions II)

No doubt, dear reader, you recall my MASSIVELY POPULAR list of 30 Things to do before I turn 30 and the BLOCKBUSTER SEQUEL where I updated it to reflect. Now that I have reached the halfway mark of my 20s, it is time for a MASSIVELY INFERIOR THIRD INSTALMENT.

Totally Incomplete (11/30)

  • Propose to a woman: Binary, and haven't yet, but definitely picked out a type of ring
  • (Still missing one - suggestions welcome)
  • Learn to play an instrument passably well
  • Eat at a 5 star restaurant
  • Visit every continent: 5/7 (missing Africa and Antarctica)
  • Learn to ride something with 4 legs or less than 4 wheels (bikes don't count): Really just need to apply for my Australian motorcycle licence ASAP
  • Travel to Uluru
  • Swim naked in the Pacific Ocean: SOON.
  • Purchase some land
  • Fly in a helicopter
  • Grow and eat my own food
In Progress (10/30)
  • Still Omitted:  Progress slow and boring
  • Get a tattoo: Now that I am in the ADF, want to check my design with them to make sure it gets approved
  • Write a novel: Written an outline for one, not sure if this will be my first yet though - I should decide for sure by the end of this year
  • Get a PhD: In progress!
  • Cook my way through a cookbook: In progress!
  • Become proficient in a martial art: Nothing besides my prior training, but as soon as I have time/$, I'll start researching options - important to get started by time I turn 27 to allow a few years for training!
  • Read at least half of 'The Great Books': STILL on Book 4 of Gateway to the Great Books, need to step up my reading game
  • Become fit enough to pass this
  • Spend a week in the woods: This will occur at some point during my ADF training
  • Put together a GOOD bag and BOAT: Sadly have dismantled these, so need to reconstruct!

Completed (9/30)
  • Become a member of the ADF (Reserve): As of a fortnight ago!
  • Save (in some form) at least $15,000 (AUS)
  • Go on a date without regard to cost (Thanks Margie!)
  • Give blood (Also Thanks Margie!)
  • Omitted and completed: With bonus subsequent mountain climb
  • Give away or sell all my excess junk after graduation
  • See a country music act live in concert
  • Have a research paper published: Still here!
  • Drive a car faster than 100 mph
I'd argue that this spread puts me at halfway, which seems fitting - I reckon the next year could see a few of my totally incomplete goals completed or started, and I'll definitely have filled in the missing one before July 17, 2015!