Comments on the Origins of Science, Art, and Writing

The following images are from a summer camp in Kyoto, Japan, in 2005. Children began imitating an adult who was grinding and smoothing pebbles on boulders, and then began imitating each-other. The children discovered different colours using different stones, and left their markings on the boulders.


The markings seem to be natural answers to unspoken questions, and signs of science beginning. Is this Art? Is this Writing?


Is this Humanity in Nature (In a Concrete Ditch)?!


With thanks to all the children!

24 trillion yen

SideLines, February 2006

That's the five-year spending target announced last week by Japan's General Council on Science and Technology.

The Japan Times of Thursday, Feb. 2, ran a good editorial on the plan, noting that women are greatly underrepresented in the sciences in Japan. According to the new plan, 25 % of newly hired researchers should be women.

Where will they come from?!

Policy suggestions from the Cooperative: spend more on improving scientific writing and publication in Japan, and create courses and job opportunites for professional technicians, so that graduate students and researchers can do their research more effectively.

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Contact Peter, c/o The Research Cooperative (NZ): pjm (at) gol (dot) com).