Bones and Stones

When the ape in that movie used a bone as a weapon, he was employing mathematical principles, he just didn't know it. By trial and error, with a little help from those mysterious extraterrestrials, he learned that he could multiply the force of his arm by making it longer and harder. He didn't know why it worked, but he knew that it worked. In those days, he couldn't tell his buddies about his amazing discovery because language hadn't been invented yet, but he could show them, and that also worked. Once they had mastered that skill, they were able to able to drive those annoying others from the waterhole. What the movie didn't show was the others coming back later with bones of their own, but I'm pretty sure that happened. After that, it was just a matter of progression from bones to stones to nuclear missiles. I skipped some steps, but you get the idea. Somewhere between the stones and the missiles, those apes must have developed language, which greatly facilitated the process. Isn't that what mathematics is after all, a language?

Music is like that too. the system of music notation is nothing but a language that enables musicians to communicate with each other. You don't need the language to make music, or to inspire others to make music, as long as you can interact with them personally, but you do need it to mail a copy of your new song to your publisher in New York. Humans probably learned to make music by trial and error, just like they learned to use tools and weapons. The publisher in New York became a part of the process somewhat later.

I get to see most of Uncle Ken's paintings when he posts them on Face Book, which I usually visit on Saturday evenings. I do remember going to a link to see all the paintings that were in his show at the Ten Cat, but that was a previous show, not the current one.

I see that Mueller's investigation finally indicted two people, but that was for something that happened years ago, long before they were involved in the Trump campaign. Oh well, I suppose it's a start.