Friday, October 30, 2015

History: The Year is 1669

I've uploaded year 1669 to the TSP Wiki...

http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1669

Here are some one liners...


The Genius of Pascal on 'Post-It' Notes -- Pascal's thoughts have been published by a friend. Pascal has already passed away. I talk about Pascal's Wager and the invention of Post-It Notes.

Tong Ren Tang Pharmaceuticals and the Gods of Medicine -- The largest Chinese Pharmaceutical company opens for business. I talk about supplements and how doctors should not be treated like gods.



The Genius of Pascal on 'Post-It' Notes

Blaise Pascal had been a brilliant mathematician and a bit of a playboy, but when he lost control of his carriage and was sliding toward oblivion, he underwent a dramatic change of heart and mind. He was transformed. Thereafter, he pursued a pious life with the same vigor that he had pursued a self-indulgent one. As the mood would strike him, he would write down brief thoughts on scraps of paper. His intent was to create a defense of religion aimed at convincing a person such as the man he once was. He collected over 900 inspirations, the most recognizable of which is Pascal's Wager. The logic goes like this: It is always best to follow God's commandments because if God exists and you follow His commandments then you go to Heaven, but if He doesn't exist then you have lived your life well and all you will have lost is the freedom to engage in certain activities of dubious value. After Pascal dies, one of his friends tidies up Pascal's notes and has them published under the title: Pensées (pawn SAY) which means "Thoughts". Pascal "Thoughts" will remain in print into the modern day. [1] [2] [3]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
In 1968, a scientist at 3M was working on a super adhesive glue but the sticky goo that he invented could barely hang on to anything. Dr. Spencer Silver had a sense that the goop must be useful for something so he became an evangelist for the glue that just wouldn't hold. Back in those days 3M believed in "business bootlegging"... the practice of looking the other way and letting researchers pursue their blue sky projects on their own time because project managers don't have a box on their spreadsheets labelled "Sudden, Freakish Inspiration." (Hewlett-Packard had a similar policy at the time.) After 5 years of looking for an application for his invention, Art Fry asked if he could use the glue on his bookmarks so they would stop falling out of his hymnal. Everyone at the church loved it and after some marketing tests, they named the product Post-It Notes and the rest is history. [4] [5] [6]

Tong Ren Tang Pharmaceuticals and the Gods of Medicine

Tong Ren Tang Chinese Pharmaceuticals is open for business. They are selling the basics for Chinese medicine. Over the years the family will sell the business to outsiders but the family will eventually buy it back. It will become the largest Chinese pharmaceutical company in the world. [7] [8]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
Frankly, I don't know much about Chinese medicine, but my doctor is a supporter of various non-medical supplements. (One should always use caution even with things recommended by one's doctor. My doctor recommended a supplement that produced a salty taste in my mouth. It wasn't dangerous but quite annoying. My wife takes the same stuff and she's fine. So... every body is different.) Having doctors prescribe medicine is actually a modern phenomenon. It started in the early 20th century when anti-biotics began curing diseases that had plagued mankind for centuries... including the Plague. Doctors became more than advisors. They became miracle workers and the M.D. became the norm. (Before the 20th century many doctors were NOT M.D.s) I'm glad for medicine, but disease is not an anti-biotic deficiency and doctors are not gods. I know too many doctors, personally, to believe that. Good people? Sure. Heroes? More than average. Gods? Forget it.

This Year on Wikipedia

Year 1669, Wikipedia.

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