On the role of entropy in the universe. And yes, it has a picture of a Babelfish.

1. Life, the Universe, & the
2nd Law of
Thermodynamics
The Infinite Probability Drive
John Ashmead

2. 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
The law that entropy always increases holds, I think, the supreme
position among the laws of nature. If someone points out to you
that your pet theory of the universe is in disagreement with
Maxwell's equations - then so much the worse for Maxwell's
equations.…but if your theory is found to be against the second law
of thermodynamics, I can give you no hope; there is nothing for it
but to collapse in deepest humiliation.
-- A. S. Eddington
In an isolated system, a process can occur only
if it increases the total entropy of the system.

3. What is entropy?

4. Second law
Higher
Energy
Useful
work
Lower
energy

5. Counter-
intuitive
character
of
disorder

6. Maxwell’s Daemon
“A very
observant
and neat-
fingered
being”

7. Arrow of time
Nothing in the
statistics of an
assemblage can
distinguish a
direction of time
when entropy fails
to distinguish one.
-- Eddington

8. 2 way time
Let us assume that the three
dimensions of space are visualized in
the customary faction, and let us
substitute a colour for the fourth
dimension. Every physical object is
liable to changes in colour as well as
position. An object might, for example,
be capable of going through all shades
from red through violet to blue. A
physical interaction between any two
bodies is possible only if they are close
to each other in space as well as in
colour. Bodies of different colours
would penetrate each other without
interference

9. Infinite improbability drive
If such a machine is a
virtual impossibility, then
it must logically be a
finite improbability. So
all I have to do in order
to make one is to work
out exactly how
improbable it is, feed
that figure into the finite
improbability
generator, ...

10. 7 ways to climb Mt.
Improbable
• Quantum fluctuations
• Many worlds
• Many laws
• Many fluctuations
• Positive feedback loops
• Self-organizing criticality
• Imagination

11. The Universe, Life, & Us
• Universe
• Life
• Us

12. Roadmap of universe

14. How many dimensions was that, again?

15. Inflation

16. Density fluctuations in
the cosmic background

17. black holes
• why not
everything in
one?
• are we in
one?
• escape from a
black hole?

18. Anthropic Principle

19. The inner (closest to
Galactic Habitable the center of the
galaxy) limit is set
by threats to
Zone complex life: nearby
transient sources of
ionizing radiation,
including supernovae
and gamma ray
bursters, and comet
impacts. Such
threats tend to
increase close to the
galactic center. The
outer limit is
imposed by galactic
chemical evolution,
specifically the
abundance of
heavier elements,
such as carbon.

20. Stellar habitable zone

21. By Jupiter

22. Extremo-philes

23. tree of life

24. mostly bacteria

26. eukaryotes

27. tiktaalik

28. pangea ultima

29. Out of Africa

30. Positive feedback loop
Narrow pelvis
Infants born less mature Need more help
from midwifes
More playful,
exploratory Need more intelligence
& socialization
Need larger brain

31. left brain

32. By effectively removing all barriers to
communication between different
races & cultures, [the babelfish] has
caused more & bloodier wars than
anything else in the history of
creation.

33. Beer & Civilization
• Agriculture
• Parties
• Drinkable water
Nin-kasi, you are the one who bakes the bappir
in the big oven,
Puts in order the piles of hulled grains, ...
You are the one who waters the malt
set on the ground, ...
You are the one who soaks the malt in a jar
The waves rise, the waves fall. ...
You are the one who spreads the cooked
mash on large reed mats,
Coolness overcomes. ...
You are the one who holds with both hands
the great sweet wort,
Brewing [it] with honey and wine

34. Sumeria: 2313BC
• For taxes
• Started as clay
“counters”
• Added
envelopes
• Got rid of
contents

35. Gutenberg

36. Second Life

37. OCEAN
• Openness
• Compulsiveness
• Extroversion
• Agreeableness
• Neuroticism

38. Come the Singularity

39. Post humanism

40. I’m afraid that the Question and the Answer
are mutually exclusive. Knowledge of one
logically precludes knowledge of the other.
It is impossible that both can ever be known
about the same Universe.

41. Time to throw in the
towel?

42. You are the one

43. Thanks!

44. Don’t Panic!
• John D. Barrow
• Paul Davies
• Richard Dawkins
• Michio Kaku
• Victor Stenger