Thursday, August 24, 2006
The Chronicle
Design vs Randomness
Adobe computer software is virtually essential for modern computer users. Is there anyone who has not yet installed the Adobe Reader? We are now up to seven point something, and there is almost nothing more we need it to do (famous last words, I know).
Web files are often saved in the Adobe PDF format. It requires the free Adobe Reader to view the file, but the Reader will not let you modify the file. So I feel safe putting materials online for my students and others to read. They can read the material but not change it. This solves what would be a huge issue for academic types, like me. If I put up a syllabus, an essay, or a book report on the web, and somebody could download it, change some information, edit parts of it, and then reload it to its original position or some other place on the web, then, of course, I would not be uploading very many important essays or materials. With Adobe, I feel safe about my intellectual property. Anyone can see what I have posted, but they can’t change it. The Adobe Reader is a free download for any Internet user.
So why write that paragraph?
It is only background for those few who might not recognize the significance of this company. Actually I did not even mention the many other essential products for computer users that Adobe makes. Many are web related and are involved with digital photography and web design. These guys are giants in the software business. They don’t make many mistakes.
So was it a mistake?
My annual Almanac Issue (2006—2007) of the Chronicle of Higher Education came today (August 21, 2006). It was upside down in my box, so what I first saw was the back cover. It was an Adobe advertisement.
There was what looked like a chambered nautilus shell all merged with a spiral staircase (with people walking on it), a carved circular wall near the stairs, and a series of small numbers filling the edges of the three circular levels of the photo, from the chambered shell out to the spiral stairway.
It is hard to describe, but the blending possible with Adobe digital photo software is really fantastic. What grabbed me was the headline:
What if design
brought clarity to a mathematical
phenomenon?
What was that again? Certain mathematical phenomena are better explained in terms of a pattern, a design? Mathematics, fundamental to all science, best explained in terms of design? On the back cover of the prestigious Chronicle?
The advertising text explains further: “Express complex ideas simply and beautifully. Make sophisticated multimedia creations that can turn even the Fibonacci sequence into something that’s understandable at a glance.”
So does this mean that we understand design when we see it? Are some confusing mathematical ideas explained better by the concept of design rather than by randomness? Right there on the cover of the Chronicle?
All the alphabetic characters in the ad seem to be in the right place (thus rendering the advertising message understandable and meaningful). In random order, there would be no meaning, nothing would be understood. Intelligent design was essential to this Adobe ad. So what if design were to bring clarity to more than just the Fibonacci sequence?
L. Russ Bush, Director
Center for Faith and Culture
Box 1889
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Wake Forest, NC 27588
www.sebts.edu
www.sebts.edu/ap
Adobe computer software is virtually essential for modern computer users. Is there anyone who has not yet installed the Adobe Reader? We are now up to seven point something, and there is almost nothing more we need it to do (famous last words, I know).
Web files are often saved in the Adobe PDF format. It requires the free Adobe Reader to view the file, but the Reader will not let you modify the file. So I feel safe putting materials online for my students and others to read. They can read the material but not change it. This solves what would be a huge issue for academic types, like me. If I put up a syllabus, an essay, or a book report on the web, and somebody could download it, change some information, edit parts of it, and then reload it to its original position or some other place on the web, then, of course, I would not be uploading very many important essays or materials. With Adobe, I feel safe about my intellectual property. Anyone can see what I have posted, but they can’t change it. The Adobe Reader is a free download for any Internet user.
So why write that paragraph?
It is only background for those few who might not recognize the significance of this company. Actually I did not even mention the many other essential products for computer users that Adobe makes. Many are web related and are involved with digital photography and web design. These guys are giants in the software business. They don’t make many mistakes.
So was it a mistake?
My annual Almanac Issue (2006—2007) of the Chronicle of Higher Education came today (August 21, 2006). It was upside down in my box, so what I first saw was the back cover. It was an Adobe advertisement.
There was what looked like a chambered nautilus shell all merged with a spiral staircase (with people walking on it), a carved circular wall near the stairs, and a series of small numbers filling the edges of the three circular levels of the photo, from the chambered shell out to the spiral stairway.
It is hard to describe, but the blending possible with Adobe digital photo software is really fantastic. What grabbed me was the headline:
What if design
brought clarity to a mathematical
phenomenon?
What was that again? Certain mathematical phenomena are better explained in terms of a pattern, a design? Mathematics, fundamental to all science, best explained in terms of design? On the back cover of the prestigious Chronicle?
The advertising text explains further: “Express complex ideas simply and beautifully. Make sophisticated multimedia creations that can turn even the Fibonacci sequence into something that’s understandable at a glance.”
So does this mean that we understand design when we see it? Are some confusing mathematical ideas explained better by the concept of design rather than by randomness? Right there on the cover of the Chronicle?
All the alphabetic characters in the ad seem to be in the right place (thus rendering the advertising message understandable and meaningful). In random order, there would be no meaning, nothing would be understood. Intelligent design was essential to this Adobe ad. So what if design were to bring clarity to more than just the Fibonacci sequence?
L. Russ Bush, Director
Center for Faith and Culture
Box 1889
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Wake Forest, NC 27588
www.sebts.edu
www.sebts.edu/ap
# posted by burningbush @ 2:35 PM 
