When you pick up a piece of wood and hold it ten feet above the ground, it has more energy than when it’s on the ground. We call that potential energy, right? That’s not controversial among any scientist.
Potential energy’s the energy that gives wood the power to hurt you or mark the floor, a power it doesn’t have when it’s just resting on the ground.
It has that energy when it’s motionless, like it was before, but then it could fall. If it does, the potential energy turns into kinetic energy, and you break your toe or whatever.
See, potential energy’s all about placing something in a situation where it’s teetering, where it’s about to change its state. Just like when you put enough strain on a group of people, they’ll suddenly explode.
They’ll go from grumpy and quiescent to violent and creative in one moment.
The transition from one state to another is affected by taking something – a social group, a piece of wood, a hex – to a place where its interactions with other forces make its own energy pull against its current state.
We’re talking about taking things to the point of crisis.
from Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
STOP THESE THINGS 
It is a world wide windscam….and it is about to blow wide open, in more ways and more places than one…..I can hardly wait to watch the fireworks. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
It’s the theory of revolution really. Look back at history – it’s there for all to see, right back to the time that humans devised writing and left a trail for all to see. First amazement, disagreement, disbelief, fear, anger. Then the tipping point which becomes activism pursuing lawful means and I believe those opposed to IWTs in Australia are at that point. What continually amazes me is the restraint that is being exercised by all. When frustration builds up , as it is, the next tipping point is civil disobedience and more physical tactics. It is truly to be hoped though that we can achieve our deliverance from these monsters through rational action.
So very true, especially that particular piece of wood.
On being asked whether he would attend a recent Ceres Project community meeting, a host was heard to say “I would need to take a base ball bat if I did”.