T.o.N. (Theory of Nothing)

[austintorn@aol.com]

(Part 11)

Fish Story: You Should See the One That Got Away

A poster soon went up in posting offices all over the world:

Agents fanned out all over the globe.

Graybeard was testing his new scuba diving equipment after taking a long walk off a short pier, waiting for his ship to come in that would take him way out on the Great Barrier Reef where he would continue to investigate life under the sea and then post some more of his findings on ToeQuest.

Graybeard had just discovered a mermaid swimming toward him below while a dark fate was arriving above. Nobody’s warnings to him of impending doom had been slightly delayed by nothing happening on the TON thread; however, Graybeard’s waterproof mobile phone soon rang underwater and he listened amazed as instructions were given to proceed to the ninja base across the bay, ending with hurry mate! and then click!.

“Wait, hold it,” said Graybeard into a dead line, “The mermaid mate—and I don’t even have a boat!”

Graybeard climbed up onto the pier just in time to see 6 grey MI6 sedans pulling up to the beach and screeching to a halt, some of them slipping on into the water. Why can’t these guys ever learn how to park, thought Graybeard.

Graybeard didn’t run, but walked, for they didn’t know what he looked like (unlike Mkirkpatrick, whose actual picture was on his every post), and because many boaters were milling about. He calmly grabbed a beer from someone’s boat, took off some of his diving equipment, and looked around for the fastest boat that he could steal or borrow forever. Why did I get involved with this TOE stuff, he wondered, already knowing that he had had to since it was the most ultimate quest of all—the Holy Grail. We are the knights of the temporal!

He picked up his pace when he saw the agents swarming onto the pier and checking everyone out. They must have Google-unEarthed me, he surmised.

“Excuse me,” Graybeard said politely, as he bumped someone off their speed boat, “it’s life or life in confinement!”. He puttered away slowly, but MI6 suspected him because he looked like James Bond and so they all ran to the end of the pier firing tranquilizer darts.

Graybeard was good at darts and so he threw them back, giving some zzzzs to a couple of them, then pushed full throttle ahead through a group of jet-skiers and off into the bay. MI6 was unloading something grey. It’s Gray against grey, he decided.

He looked back after a while, only to see 6 MI6 high-speed grey power boats pursuing him. I’m no match for these, but I do have a lead, but to where…?

Graybeard was hitting the speed bumps of the waves and driving as reckless as the boat safety course had told him not to, and was nearly blinded by the spray but then remembered that he still had his goggles on. They’ll never torture the TOE out of me, but if they tickle my foot I may have to die laughing.

After some time, they began closing in on him, with no land in sight—and his whole life of posts began to pass before his eyes: forces, electricity, noumena, sea creatures, quarks, evolution, getting tanked at the Many-Worlds pub…tanks? fuel tanks?

A huge ocean liner had just come over the horizon at full speed, but… Graybeard doubted he could get to it for any assistance, for his relentless unrelenting shadows were inexorably approaching, as the night follows the day, and now only a kilometer behind. Tanks for the memories, everyone, he sighed.

As they drew near, Graybeard jettisoned three-quarters of his fuel and shot a flare into the inflammable flammable stuff at just the right moment, causing a ruckus and disabling two of the boats. Good try, Graybeard the Pirate, he said to himself, who answered back, but not good enough…

A bit of time had been saved as two agents were rescued by the other MI6 boats, but it was only going to prolong his agony and their ecstasy of capturing him. Back at full speed for 6 more kilometers, but with his fuel now getting low, Graybeard felt the exhilaration of his last hurrah on this earth as the agents closed on him again. The ocean liner was approaching, very close, but there would be no time for him to sneak aboard unobserved. Not even Tom Clancy could save him now. This is it, he thought, die or die.

Ready to protect the TOE at any or all cost, Graybeard steered his boat with a last minute adjustment toward a head-on collision with the ocean liner… and laid down in the front of the boat

The ocean liner struck Graybeard’s boat midships, breaking it in two, accompanied by a huge fireball explosion of the rear portion that the amazed MI6 agents took as his epitaph. They stayed and searched the area but found no trace of Graybeard. They put a hand over their hearts and saluted the brave ToeQuestor, then headed back to shore in disgrace.

…

(A cliffhanger—no, I couldn’t do that to you!)

“That’s two tanks for the memories,” said Graybeard, with bubbles coming out of his mouth as he assembled the last of his scuba gear, tanks, fins, and mouthpiece underwater, noting the raging firestorm up above.

He swam on, thirty feet submerged, for a kilometer or two, to get out of the area, then sat down on the bottom of the bay and drank the amber fluid (“beer”, in English). Here’s to the TOE! May it never fall into the wrong hands.

Graybeard swam on, using up the last of the air of his tanks, threw off his counterweights, and surfaced, quite exhausted, and noted the landmark that he’d been told of, still four miles away. (Austin is not good at kilometers) Too far, he thought, I’m as good as in a Black Stump (far away) or the Back of Bourke (The middle of nowhere), Bullamanks even (way beyond the preceding destinations)!

A small rowboat appeared out of nowhere with a robed black ninja waving to him, “G’day mate; good on ya! I give you fifth degree.”

“Cut the strine—I need some zeds (zzzzs).

“Too right!”

“Well, hooly-dooly,” Graybeard answered, “did Nobody send you—and are we going to the ninja center in this put-putt?”

“Yes, and no. We go first Tom Clancy house—make notes.”

“I’m about to go berko—why wasn’t I warned of MI6 just a few minutes earlier?”

“It better training for great one, Beard of Gray ninja-san, king of reefers! And you love mermaid.”

“I give up, I’m too tired for kafuffling.”

Tom wished them well and they rowed toward the ninja outpost.

“No man look for rowboat and no man be island,” said the 5th degree Grand Master.

“Whatever you say, PHD.”

Darkness fell as they entered the training ground and Graybeard slept well, dreaming of fish women.

“Eye test time, Growbeard” said the ninth degree Grand Master.

“Shuteye time,” protested Graybeard.

“Please read line bottom of chart”.

“Printed by Acuvision 2005.”

“You have good eye.”

“Two, two eyes—do you think I lost one as a pirate?”

“No, sorry Grayman. Please close ears—what see?”

“I see you are going to end up in the ICU!”

“Now-now, Greatbeard. We teach you mind’s eye.”

“Ok, I’ll see you I to eye.”

“That better. Still seeing mermaid?”

“We broke up—fin-ished, due to my imminent death.”

“Be friend—we teach you seeing in dark.”

“I already have x-ray vision—and why is your underwear so ragged? What if you have to go to the hospital, like real soon!”

“You fine sight full of seaweed, but good eye too.”

“Two eyes.”

“I give you four eyes.”

“I don’t need glasses.”

“What if TOE scientist woman blind since birth named Mary regain sight—know she what color banana is?”

“Well, I thought not, and since I know her, I tried to trick her and showed her a blue banana…”

“She say not banana.”

“How do you know that?”

“While blind she knew EVERYTHING about banana!”

“Well, I’ll be darned. Teach me more.”

“See you woman on moon?”

“See you later.”

(Secret Australian ninja training center)

P.S. from Austin

I need to make an escape and drive to Chicago Thursday from New York, no easy task. Plus, I'm all written out (any ideas?).

If danger approaches any of you, nobody will contact you, unless there is a typo in this sentence. Have to run…

[Profpat]

Austin;

Take care and have a safe trip. Watch out for the governmental agencies, I understand they are looking for a number of Toequesters. Fortunately the mug shot that they have of you isn't so good. You look like an ant. For Michael however, they have a pretty good likeness.

Return to us safely, we all need your creativity and humor.

Pat

[mkirkpatrick]

Three cheers for Austin,I feel like a wanted man now,will be looking over my shoulder
for agents on the horizon,have a safe trip.


warm regards michael.

[N0B0DY]

You brought up a good point in 890, Pat, related to rounding and quantization errors, like analog-digital conversions and hours of the day.

Raising to the zeroth power is mathematically one, except when the base is zero. The base zero would be analogous to analog, and non-zero to digital; and, similarly, the zero would be comparable to metaphysics, and non-zero to physics.

Measurements need to be quantized, as you have mentioned a few times, and the measurements are based on inaccurate observations - observation itself quantizes based on the amount of energy absorbed. For complete accuracy, we would be required to measure from a zero point of origin to another zero point of termination. The non-zero point in between would also consist of overlapping zero points, where we could question what it is exactly that we are measuring.

When you referred to "nothing and whatever you can imagine" as representing the one, you bring up another good point, where we can ask whether or not it is our imagination that is responsible for observing what isn't really there.

[Profpat]

Raising to the zeroth power is mathematically one, except when the base is zero. The base zero would be analogous to analog, and non-zero to digital; and, similarly, the zero would be comparable to metaphysics, and non-zero to physics.



When you referred to "nothing and whatever you can imagine" as representing the one, you bring up another good point, where we can ask whether or not it is our imagination that is responsible for observing what isn't really there.

Hi Nobody,
I saw Austin's rendition of your mug shot and I think you are safe with a non portrait.

0 r to the zero power gives you what mathematician's call undefined.

As far as the imagination being responsible for the observation; I think maybe so. At first I was freaked out with that possiblity. Fortunately I was introduced to the book called THE LATHE OF HEAVEN a novel.
( you can get a summary of the book at wikipedia if you haven't read it.) Which gave me comfort and I quit worrying.

I do try to stay positive but reclusive to the extent possible, while still fulfilling my professorial and professional responsibilities.

That way I can stay in my LaLa land and let others worry about the world.

Best to you,

Pat

[MJA]

Dear Nobody,

Do you think that all of nature truly exist without yourself, without me, without mankind?
I do!
Do you think nature is the truth, and perhaps man just got it wrong?
I do too!
What about you?
Do you think nobody is somebody?
I do too again!


=
MJA

[N0B0DY]

The book looks interesting, Pat. I might even pick it up if I notice it around, and your point is taken about meddling. The small excerpts reveal the difference in knowing what needs to be done, and thinking we know what should be done. There's alot of manifest destiny in the world, and battles of good and evil (god and devil) that would quickly be resolved if folks let things be.

With regards to the undefined, I would think that scientists would just go ahead and define it as one. Yet the undefinible infinite fractions and non-existent absolute zero differ, where any dimensionless quantity could be classified as one and raised to the power of zero (which would be one). There is an a priori one allotted to measurements that allow one to be used mathematically, whereas zero renders all measurements void of measurement which is my "point" entirely. I think it was Paul Dirac who said that infinities should not be neglected if the result is too large, and in this respect it understandably pertains to the undefined.

I guess ultimately, my argument is against calling the empty set a set, because it is simultaneously both bound and unbound.

MJA,

I think you would be hard-pressed to prove that there is existence without observation because it would require someone, anyone, to observe reality without observing it. Yes, the same must apply to my argument.

I think that nature is wrong because it breeds pain, and people buy into it because "feeling is believing" they say. It's a sick mind game as a by product of perfection, and even if nobody was a somebody I still wouldn't truly exist.

[austintorn@aol.com]

It seems that we can never know exactly what is “out there” for the reasons Nobody expressed. We can only suppose from indirect observations that they are waves of noumena that our senses and/or imaginations interpret. Or it could even be that our imaginations make all things up—be it the same thing for all as we mostly agree about what we observe.

I’m wondering if our imaginations are really there to do the above imagining. Any ideas?

This all may be, but why would there be any trickery of nature, say, to have a great intricacy of dream stuff that is dreamt to function as though it were really there?

As for the sickness of the human condition, that is evident; so could it mean that our state is truly a “lucky” accident that had no real planning behind it, for it couldn’t have had. Does that make us freer than if we are puppets of a planner?

Would it be better to be all supermen? Or does that just raise the bar for us to face different problems or would perfection be boring? Can we have the yin without the yang?

What is the best way to live with what we have, whether we truly exist or not, since we can act as if we do? Should we avoid those who are way beyond recovery? Should we observe the world’s foibles from a distance, letting nonsense sail by without us getting disturbed by entering into the unresolvable silliness?

[Profpat]

Austin;

Just some thoughts regarding your excellent post.

Para #1. I agree. Hitler imagined the Nazis and the Nazis imagined Hitler. And that horror of an imagination entered our world.
I remember a story about when Columbus came to the New World the Indians didn't see his ships. They weren't able to imagine such a thing.

Para#2 Ask Michael

Para#3 Merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a DREAM.
Who was the dreamer Alice or the red king? Bhrama sleeping. Have you like Hamlet ponderd that age old question, who know what awaits us in the next dream?

Para#4 May we substitute the immaturity where you have sickness?
While Man has been around for a while, its only recently that civilization and its discontents have been with us. ~ 6,000 years ago when Mesopotamia arose.~5,500 years ago for the the wheel and writing to enter the scene.
~4,000 before the first written code. and only ~ 2,000 - 3,000 years for democracy and republic to start.

Now throughout, the tortures mankind inflicted on his brother is repulsive.
But the good news is that we are maturing in our thoughts in that now when there is torture Man mostly thinks its wrong, and should be prosecuted.
Slavery ( legal ) has been banned throughout the world.

Its a very slow process evolution. And without Michaels instant enlightenment, it will take some time.

Para#5 I think man has the essence of perfection, but we lose a lot by adopting our course bodies,in that essential becomes potential, and when it gets tranlated to the actual; well a lot of our perfection got lost in translation. Not being perfect in my present state I don't know if perfection would be boring.( I doubt that concept would be present in a perfect state. ) However there is a saying; " That even the gods struggle in vain against boredom.
And finally No you can't have one without the other

Para#6 I remember James Campbell discussing on a PBS program a conversation he had with a very enlightened holy man. Now both were very enlightened beings and knew all is illusion, but James asked this holy person that shouldn't we suffer when we observe all the suffering around us? The holy man replied " You and I no. Let the rest of the world do the suffering.

Well best to you Austin,

Pat

[N0B0DY]

I think we could ask whether or not imperfect individuals can have an inkling of what perfection is. Would what we think is perfect be perfect enough? Perhaps if the thinking were perfect then that would suffice, but apparently thinking is a large part of the problem. Was it Einstein who stated that the world needs a different mind to fix problems than the mind that creates them? Would losing the imperfect ego grant individuals perfection by default? Who would you then be, if you now forget who you were when first born?

Why do you dream the dreams you dream at night? With the infinite possibilities arising out of the functioning of Taichi, why would observable reality be the way it is? Perhaps for the same reasons based on humanity's particular makeup, where if different, then observable reality would naturally follow. Who knows? Who cares? Leave it up to god, or should we change it all through willful intent?

The crux of the toe matter though, again, is based on the unification of forces which I proclaim negates motion which is synonymous to non-existence. It takes no time and motion for the absolute universe to reach all the way over "there" and come back "here," but it takes individuals time and motion. If at the absolute center of all individuals there is that substanceless substances that "propagates" in no time, we must then be absolutely the same as the non-existent universe. If there is some infinitesimal gathering that we consist of, then propagation and observations would be restricted to a particular rate of energy exchange - perhaps we can call it "c."

What are we absolutely made of, if all points of the infinitesimal gathering are in "reality" multiplications of non-existent points? Can the rate of potential energy exchange, itself, be enough to create illusory points of reference? I think it is the only feasible answer when considering that only an infinite number of non-existent points can be applied without changing the changeless universe, as opposed to not even one literal point being capable to do the same.

Who has the power to literally break what can't be broken? If one proposes that it can be literally broken, an explanation is required as to how exactly that can be done. What direction do things move when the absolute universe is fully folded onto itself and fully refined inside and out and up and down and back and front?

I think Lou Dobbs would have a field day if he knew that illegal aliens are crossing the universal border from the south.