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Spiraling Out of Control?

Nov 13, 2021
2 min read

When I create a new set of planes for my show, it’s always part work and part wonder. The paper fibers break in an organized way, if my folding technique is good. I’m aware that folding is the final insult to the cellulose walls that survived being shredded, cooked, pressed and baked into paper. Yes, my mind drifts a bit through eight hours of folding.

Sometimes the little things are a big deal.


The similarity of genomes across life forms, from the very simple to the most complex, is to be expected, even predicted, by evolution theory. It’s still amazing to see. It’s wonderous to ponder. Gene sequences remain, even when they’re obsolete.

Consider the spiral helix. The DNA helical design pops up in life everywhere we look; even in the vast of space. Billions upon billions of planets are orbiting suns. Galaxies spin. What’s not obvious is that solar systems don’t sit still. They move. In doing so, the path a planet traces around its sun becomes a spiral helix. Look at the top of a slinky toy. It looks like a circle. Stretch it out and you get a spiral of coils. If you think of the stretched slinky as a path through space, you have the rough idea. The movement of circling the sun, combines with the drift through space to create a spiral path. Check out the animation in the link below.



Is the DNA spiral caused by or related in some way to the celestial spirals around us? Great question. The great physicist Richard Feynman famously said that figuring out how the universe works is like trying to figure out the rules of chess by watching just four squares on the board during a game. Every once in a while, we get a glimpse of a rule. Usually, we can’t see enough of the board to really understand. We keep observing, recording, and guessing.


And then I realize I’ve just folded three Super Canards more than I need. No wonder this always takes eight hours.

 
 
 

36 Comments


ka ji
ka ji
6 hours ago

Music can be a powerful memory trigger for people with Parkinson's, so pairing songs with recall games makes sense. I have used Guess The Song for short daily quizzes, and the progressive clues and one-second challenges work well for gentle mental stimulation without feeling like a chore.

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ka ji
ka ji
4 days ago

The spiral analogy really clicked for me. I've had good luck freezing motion this way: using video to frames online free to grab one still every few seconds, then stacking them side by side. Seeing each stage of a spin in sequence makes the loss of control feel less sudden and more understandable.

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John Charles
John Charles
6 days ago

The article gives a useful introduction and keeps the discussion focused on information. While continuing my reading, I noticed jaya 9 as another related resource. I like finding relevant sources through blogs because they can provide additional ideas and encourage readers to explore a topic further.


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sendthesong
sendthesong
Sep 24

Folding paper planes sounds like a fascinating blend of skill and creativity! It's interesting how the process involves both technique and a little bit of wonder. Speaking of creativity, have you tried the pictionary phrase generator for inspiration?

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sunny sharma
Sep 21

Beginners often find it easier to understand trading when concepts like technical analysis, risk management, and trading psychology are explained with practical examples. Having access to structured trading learning in Jaipur can also make it easier to connect these concepts with real market situations.


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