Biological meta-code

Have you ever had the experience of sitting down to analyse some random program, & being faced by code (typically BASIC or some database language) which was obviously generated by something else — maybe The Last One (but of course, it wasn’t) or another 4GLish system?

It seems that the awesome complexity of DNA was not good enough, so scientists have moved along to discover epigenetics which are another controlling layer (one commentator termed it “the puppet master”) managing DNA expression.

This is one reason why identical twins can have differing DNA, as the epigenetic arrangements are what’s shaping each twin — as managers can direct programmers, so that one programmer might produce completely different results on two similar-appearing projects.

This & other mysteries solved (no doubt more opened as well) if you happen to have a Science magazine subscription (I read over someone else’s shoulder), but the basic principles at first look fairly clear: “molecular structure & bonding are subject to quantum mechanics. Now physicists have extended the concept of information to the quantum domain, & made some extraordinary discoveries.”

Oop! Quantum physics? There goes simplicity! (-:

Giggle, yes, but true. Hereinbefore regarded as relatively straight-forward, DNA expression just earned another layer of complexity.

Comments

every-application-is-part-of-a-toolkit at work

I have a LibreOffice Impress slideshow that I wish to turn into a narrated video. 1. export the slideshow as PNG images (if that is partially broken — as at now — at higher resolutions, Export Directly as PDF then use ‘pdftoppm’ (from the poppler-utils package) to do the same). 2. write a small C program (63 lines including comments) to display those images one at a time, writing a config file entry for Imagination (default transition: ‘cross fade’) based on when the image-viewer application (‘display,’ from the GraphicsMagick suite) is closed on each one; run that, read each image aloud, then close each image in turn. 3. run ‘Imagination’ over the config file to produce a silent MP4 video with the correct timings. 4. run ‘Audacity’ to record speech while using ‘SMPlayer’ to display the silent video, then export that recording as a WAV file. 4a. optionally, use ‘TiMIDIty’ to convert a non-copyright-encumbered MIDI tune to WAV, then import that and blend it with the speech (as a quiet b

new life for an old (FTX) PSU, improved life for one human

the LEDs on this 5m strip happen to emit light centred on a red that does unexpectedly helpful things to (and surprisingly deeply within) a human routinely exposed to it. it has been soldered to a Molex connector, plugged into a TFX power supply from a (retired: the MoBo is cactus) Small Form Factor PC, the assorted PSU connectors (and loose end from the strip) have been taped over. the LED strip cost $10.24 including postage, the rest cost $0, the PSU is running at 12½% of capacity, consumes less power than a laptop plug-pack despite running a fan. trial runs begin today.

boundaries

pushing the actual boundaries of the physical (not extremes, the boundaries themselves) can often remove barriers not otherwise perceived. one can then often resolve an issue itself, rather than merely stonewalling at the physical consequences of the issue.

Plantagenet Penguinista

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