Tom,
One of the main ways they have of being adaptive is to overproduce, on those multiple scales and to sacrifice eventually all forms, but keep producing new ones. While this interpretation of the paper is somewhat off topic for this thread, the reason I found the essay topical is that it describes what amounts to a social and ultimately civilizational maelstrom.
In essence it is a form of black hole. What drives this mad rush is a global population which can only operate cooperatively with the contractual function of a monetary system. Which has succeeded in throwing off most legal restraints and being used to siphon value out of the larger economy into what amounts to vast waste on increasingly fewer people, as well as unpayable gambling debts. This being the black hole at the center. Meanwhile the society increasingly swirling around it has to further drain value out of the earth's environment in order to both survive and create the illusion they too can win that lottery. Meanwhile any attempts to resist it, such as the Occupy movement, have their intended friction simply turned to heat and feed it as well, as it mostly empowers the police and security functions, which otherwise keep the larger population in line and working. Negative feedback for those fighting it.
Though I have to say, being in the horse business, in the Baltimore Washington area, the income for my livelihood is probably due to the glow from this particular beast.
I also have to say that while I probably attribute devious motives and serious character flaws to you, when you habitually disagree with everything I say, these debates do provide an outlet for me. I long ago grew used to people thinking I'm somewhat wacked, so it doesn't bother me anymore, but that makes it difficult to sustain interesting conversations.
I mention this because of those two links you posted, of why time is slowed and the path of least action. While I mentioned the connection that occurred to me in passing, I thought I'd clarify it;
That if you consider the wavy lines of the paths of not least action and the excess energy that would be required to make them work, compared to the light being bounced back and forth between the mirrors and how this is an analogy for what happens in atomic structure, with less bouncing representing slower time, they represent different descriptions on the same effect;
Now a beam of light would be the most efficient path of least action, as no energy is lost and no time passes. Then you get to the frame traveling near the speed of light and so little bouncing around and little energy lost. Then you get to the ones where it is bouncing around a lot and lots of energy is lost and time moves much faster.
Now I know you are not going to agree with anything I say, but if you just hurumph and tell me what a idiot I am, I'l know I'm onto something. Otherwise, if you clearly and concisely explain the flaw in my logic, then I will have learned something.
Regards,
John M