Episode #628
February 13, 2021
A circle is a line which begins nowhere and never ends.
Before quantum physics i was taught that an atom was a particle with electrons circling around it.
A moons orbit around a planet.
A sun has planets in its orbit.
Solar systems circle black holes in the center of galaxies.
Galaxies rotate around something in the center of the universe.
So much of what we are is circular.
Our routines are circular. They repeat in an unending loop.
In a good argument we circle around to the premise with which we started.
In a joke, the repeating of a reference in the punch line is a “callback”… an effective comedic device.
Many of the airplane flights i take are round trips. Except, of course the skydives. Our skydiving formations do, however, tend to be built around a circle.
i like loop trails for hikes because they return me to the parking lot and my car.
In programming, the “for-next loop” is efficient code which checks, repeats and circles back on a condition in an operation until the goal is achieved.
The CPU of my MacBook Pro cycles 2.4 billion times per second. With Turbo Boost it clocks at 5 billion times per second.
That’s a ferocious circle.
For all you geeks… a phase-locked loop consists “of a variable frequency oscillator and a phase detector in a feedback loop. The oscillator generates a periodic signal, and the phase detector compares the phase of that signal with the phase of the input periodic signal, adjusting the oscillator to keep the phases matched.”
— Wikipedia
Race cars often reach their goal by driving around a circle.
Drag racers seem more intent on their goal.
An inductive loop detector is a circle of wires under a road. The loop of wires is charged with an alternating current. When a metal car passes over the circuit the inductance is reduced and a signal is sent to a control box. The box can trigger a traffic signal or open an exit gate.
A lasso is a useful circle of rope that cowboys use.
A top spins in a circle held in place with inward vectoring centripetal force. It is a wondrous joy to children of all ages.
Centrifugal force is an outward circular vector and is useful in centrifuges, such as to separate uranium-235.
Circular logic proves a point based on the premise being true.
In the book “Catch-22” there is a rule that says you cannot be declared insane (thus released from military duty) unless you ask to be declared insane. The catch-22 is that asking to be released from duty establishes your sanity since you are aware of the dangers of combat. Therefore you are not insane.
A spiral staircase in a round tower is my wife’s favorite architecture.
You can put a round peg in a square hole and you can put a square peg in a round hole… depending on scale.
When planning a strategy we circle up.
When organizing a skydive we form a circle.
When defending ourselves we circle the wagons.
“A man growing old becomes a child again.”
— Sophocles
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
— T.S Eliot, Four Quartets
A circle is a line which begins nowhere and never ends.
Some of this blog way beyond my ken this week.. Howeve , don’t ever stop your philosophizing and explanations of what we all take for granted in this world. My favorite – “A man growing old becomes a child again”; how true, how true and this is from an 83 year old going through the circular process.
Excellent read!
Wow that really made my head spin! LOL
LOL … an L that circles back to an L.
WOW! Rick,
this gathering of examples, remind
me of the circula con trials over my home in
England during WWII. Also, you personify the
lyrics, “The Windmills of your Mind” and wheels
within Wheels. You serve great Mind Candy.
Thank You Rick!