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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>William Flynn Wallace via extropy-chat<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [ExI] geometry of solar system<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'>Pity the poor layperson, who asks "Does the Earth really go around the Sun?"<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'>Your answer "Well, it depends on your point of reference." He doesn't want to hear that. He wants a yes or no. Just like the nature/nurture posts of late, it's complicated, but requires us to simplify for the nontech people. 'Well, that's probably the best way for you to think about it."<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'>Now he feels patronized and belittled. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black'>bill w<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>BillW, I spent most of my career as a satellite guidance and control guy. The software aboard those rigs always assume itself, the satellite is the center of the universe, with the spinning planet revolving about it, with the moon out there doing what it does around the barycenter of the earth/moon system and the and the sun doing what it does about the barycenter of the earth/sun system, with slight corrections for Jupiter (the others don’t matter.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>You can write the equations such that you are the center of the universe and make everything work perfectly. Quaternions are forgiving that way. Any point of reference is as good as any other. If one guides one’s own actions, using oneself at the (0,0,0,0) point has its advantages.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Once you ponder that for a while, the notion becomes clearer that we are all sims. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Or rather you are, BillW: we are all just avatars in your orbit in your software consciousness.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Have you any way to disprove that? Wouldn’t it explain a lotta things?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></body></html>