"Entropy is a thermodynamic property that is a measure of the energy not available for useful work in a thermodynamic process, such as in energy conversion devices, engines, or machines. Such devices can only be driven by convertible energy, and have a theoretical maximum efficiency when converting energy to work. During this work entropy accumulates in the system, but has to be removed by dissipation in the form of waste heat."
- Wikipedia

Physics dictates that most processes that theoretically transforms energy into work (or vice-versa) will be inefficient, resulting in waste heat that cannot be used and must be dissipated. Even systems that use heat don't transform all of it into useful energy. Assuming that the universe has a set amount of energy (accounting, of course, for the energy that arises from mass itself) in it, that can only mean that at some point, everything will come to rest and the only form of energy left will be heat. If the universe is big enough to keep the energy from coalescing into more mass, then nothing will ever happen again. Creation will be dark and still; entropy will rule.

Thus goes the theory of Heat Death.

One of the interesting things about entropy is its complete inevitability. Every attempt to increase the efficiency of a system is an extension or itself a system that is inefficient. The more complicated a physical system is, the more energy is required just to keep it going. Gathering and utilizing that energy requires ever higher amounts of order, and the cycle continues. Eventually there isn't enough energy and the system grinds to a halt.

Strangely enough, this concept applies to almost all systems imaginable. Economics, information networks, technology, biology, etc. Everything eventually dies. A growing government system will become swollen with administration cost. The population of humans will become too much for a rock circling a star to handle. Pathogens, both real-world and binary, continue to find ways around our defensive measures, becoming more lethal and subtle as they do so. An ever-growing national budget, too high and too fast to ever catch up with, is just energy debt applied to international relations.

And there's nothing to be done about it, really. Nothing stays simple when it has the resources to grow. It's unfortunate that humans in particular are very...inefficient with what we have, from money to raw materials, from energy to space. But you can't blame us for living, yeah?

I don't know what I'm getting at, really. This is something that I've always thought about, and it's a deep part of me. It's part of why I try to live simply, when I can. Keep everything conglomerated, easy-to-organize, low-order. The opposite of a pack-rat: if it isn't useful or somehow special to me, I don't buy it. Don't save it. Don't record it. Don't write it down. Minimize the window. Don't make it. Paper or plastic? I'll use my hands to carry my milk, thank you. It's more than conserving resources. It's conserving...everything.

Save space; don't bury me.

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Name of the song I'm listening to. Mmmmmm

Changed the background image, as you can see. For some reason, the smaller image size isn't making my page run any faster. Is anyone else noticing long load and scrolling times? Anyway, I might make more changes.

I'm learning how to build a website with Photoshop. It's for an English project. Sort of neat.

Had a pretty energizing day. Went to the new church with the new group, then did some studying, then went to some sort of awesome dinner/discipleship meeting and just had a blast. I'm in some sort of weird mood now, though. I'm still pretty happy, but...oh well. I'm probably tired. I've been busy.

In fact, I think I'll go to bed in a few. Toodles.

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Academic mood swings.

-.-

SWING BACK, ALREADY!

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I dunno why I'm so stoked to have an umbrella. Whatever!

I also bought a nice usb mouse for gaming on the PC. Looking forward to having that! Eventually I'm looking into buying an ethernet adapter for my Wii (the wireless on campus doesn't support it) and maybe a lapdesk for the laptop.

I got promoted at my job for apparently no reason (and without my knowledge too!). So that means I'll be getting more money and working harder over the summer. It's still better than school. I am SO ready to get out of here. My English teacher thinks it's OK to have 3 (count 'em) projects going AT THE SAME TIME, during dead week. I...don't understand it.

Roommate has his girlfriend as a slave for a day because she lost a bet. Wish I could see what's going on. They've been out all day, and I've been in. Doing work. Or, at least, trying to.

I'm irritated because I feel like I've been cheated out of better grades than I'm getting in Calc 2. I study with a group of people, and I'm usually the one helping out the ones who are lost. And yet somehow I'm making Cs on the test and they're making As or high Bs. The mistakes I make can be explained away. Silly mistakes. It's very frustrating that I cannot get a single perfect test when I know the material so well. Add the calculus woes to my lackluster grades in Physics and English, and you get a very stressed out Techie. I am just...very ready to get it over with and get out of here. Ironically, right now my highest grades are in Econ. I only have to make a 70 on the final exam to make an A in the class. In Calc, on the other hand, I might not pull an A even if I get a 100 on the final. Depends on the curve.

Last semester I didn't really mind if I got Bs, but this semester I've really raised my standards. Maybe even to pre-highschool levels. It's like the opposite of senioritis, but I can't figure out why. Nobody else seems worried about making As. Maybe I have the wrong idea about how hard my school really is. My friend's physics class had a 49 test average, for example. Making straight As is considered God-like...so honestly making a 3.0 here isn't all that bad.

I just really can't settle for it, though. Not when so many people I know, and consider my intellectual equals, are making 4s, or at least 3.5.

ugh

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