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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

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rshow55 - 02:23pm Aug 13, 2002 EST (#3696 of 3700)

MD3423-24 rshow55 8/2/02 7:30am includes this:

". . . some words are MUCH more important than others. And the one's that are most important are "humble" - "low status" words - that people take for granted.

In english text the most common words are MUCH more common than average.

Here are rough percentages (I'm reading from a pie chart) of text accounted by words, in frequency order:

First 10 words -- 20% of all words spoken or written

First 100 words - 48% of all words spoken or written

First 1000 words - 65% of all words used

First 2000 words - 75% of all words used

First 4000 words - 80% of all words used

First 9000 words - 90+% of all words used

Words in frequency order from 9000 up -- less than 10% of all text, but more than 90% of the words educated people know, use and value.

The most frequent words - - the ones that are taken for granted are much more frequent (and basically, much more important) than others.

For reasons of the logical connection of the world (and our brains) other patterns of use have similar statistics, where the most frequent and "most elementary" things are MUCH more important than average -- essential for virtually everything that has to work.

What if, at a basic level, a mistake is made, a sign is reversed, something is screwed up?

Such problems can be hard to catch. And they deal with "low status" issues that people don't like to look at.

The logical problems of peacemaking seem to involve such screwups. But let's use reading instruction as an example now.

rshow55 - 02:27pm Aug 13, 2002 EST (#3697 of 3700)

I had the honor of teaching a very nice, pretty smart (and pretty) 24 year old lady who read below the 2nd grade level to read above the 11th grade level in ten months - and the decisive part - I think, and she thought - was drills like the following - words were to be spoken - and in these drills - she learned to speak the words fast . Later, I got some nursery school kids to do the same, quite happily. Here are examples of the drills:

Words in frequency order 24 to 30: have, or, by, one, had, not - - randomly presented:

by have or had have or by had or have by one had or by not have by not had by or not had one have by not had by or by one had have by one not one not one or by have had have by or one or by not one had not not have had or not by or not one not had or by have not or have or have or not had or one had or or had or had by not one by by not have not one had or one or by not had one or had by not by by not had not one had or not had not one or by

Words in frequency order 30 to 36: but, what, all, were, when, we - - - randomly presented:

when but we but when but we when were what all when all when were what were all when but what all but all were all but we but what when were but were all what all were what all all we all when all what all what but when we when but all when what but were when we were we but were what when were when what when were all were all we what but all were all we what but were all but we all but all but we what but we all but all but we when but were all but were all but what all but when when all we what we when but were

Six words in frequency order 36 to 42: there, can, an, your, which, their randomly presented:

your which can there can your their can which an an your can there their which can your their which your there an there an there an can your there an which your their which their an can there which an can your an which your there can your their your there your which their an there can which there their which their which their which there your there your there your there your which their which your can an an can there your which your an which there which your can their there which your there an there their which an there can which their which an there an there your which their your which there their an can

Six words in frequency order 42 to 48: said, if, do, will, each, about randomly presented:

said each about each do about about if each if about will said if will if about if said each will said will will about will if each about said do about if do said each do about do said if said each will said about said will each do will said if do if each said will about each do if about if do said if said about said will do each said will about do about each will about do each do if each do if do will do if do said if each will if said about if about each about each said will if said do said about will said if if will said about each

Combining these words:

Words in frequency order 24 to 48: have, or, by, one, had, not, but, what, all, were, when, we, there, can, an, your, which, their, said, if, do, will, each, about randomly presented:

an had which there each do can an but by if not said one not we or which what their about one have by had have when each your their or if have an about your which what one but their when their all can your but were your if their all can do or all an all have your but not what there each their or there if your do your do your when what each which do can were have can there about your one will about said which will one their one will but had we but do if we which all will an all but their when not their or your can said all what one your which we have one we not their an said if by which will which by there not your by had when

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