Blatherings about Life the Universe and Everything.

No, I'm not talking about the book, Life, the Universe and Everything.

The following is a quickly-jotted-down stream of consciousness-esque series of thoughts I had, cleaned up and presented here for your bemusement. I actually jotted this down some time ago, and just recently found this while cleaning up some drafts in my blog... Enjoy!

...Okay, so we know that light is a wave and a particle. Or, if you prefer, a wave-particle... appropriately traveling through what we consider space-time. Named thusly, because we are more familiar with "space" 3-dimensions, and we simply lob in a fourth, which we call time. However, if you ask someone what the three dimensions are, they would respond something to the effect of length, width and height... which are all simply scalar distance measurements. And, depending on your choice of origin and orientation, those three could be anything, so long as they are "normal" to each other. Length could be width or height, and the others rotate appropriately to suit. Simply turning an object in your hands and considering what its "height" is will reveal the very definition to be very weak and backwards-thinking. How can we hope to uncover the science behind the creation of a universe when we measure reality and all of existence with relation to the gravitational center of our planet of birth ...or any single planet for that matter? If height is "up" and up is "away from down" and down is the direction that things fall when dropped on Earth, then our definitions are waaay too "preschool" to approach the task.

So, given that we are looking at some arbitrary distance (we'll call length, in this case), if we take an object and dissect it perfectly (impossible, but that's another story), then we end up with twice the number of objects, each with half the length - voila! ...preservation of matter (or, more technically, matter-duration, in space-time). These two objects can occupy the same space, much like cars in parking lots do... by taking turns. They can't occupy the same space at the same time. They, likewise, can occupy the same time. This is, in fact, totally normal and expected, in our point of view. You would be quite shocked to find that if you cut an object in half one half disappeared and would only reappear at the disappearance of the other half. However, we have already illustrated above that one axis is no different from another axis and, in fact, objects can be rotated such that their lengths can swing around to become their widths, with other axes following suit. This poses some interesting questions...

First, quarks. We can observe a quark existing in two places at the same time and then apparently disappearing from existence. Can we move quarks? If so, is it possible to move two "of the same quark" into the SAME 3D space? I wonder if this would be possible at all. Much like the familiar objective behavior of normally observed objects occupying the same space, but at different times, given an axial rotation, it may be impossible for the same quark to occupy different times at the same space. Moving on...

Quarks have been observed to rotate in opposite directions to each other. We see similar behavior when we wave at ourselves in a mirror. Or when an image is flipped in a camera. This observed phenomena is resultant of optics - lens effects. Could there be something in nature that acts as a "matter-duration" lens, not of light, but of quarks, causing a "reflection" effect on the quark, so that the spins are actually identical (As would be necessary if it is the same quark), but the space-time orientation of the quark is adjusted by this lens effect?

If items could occupy the same space-time location-moments, then the only mathematical description that could isolate these object-instances would be mass. Mathematically speaking, however, this would present an "n-paradox", where we could agree that there is a given number of instances coexisting, and the amount of mass ascribed to each instance would have to be identical, lacking any way of specifying one from the other. It follows that any number of possibilities would be equally true, so long as the number (n) of assumed instances times the assumed mass of a given instance equals the total mass occupying that specific location-moment. This should hold true right on up to a single object in space-time being recognized as an infinite number of instances with infinitely small mass. If you could focus on a single instance, moving one would be infinitely easy. Should we assume that the others, being instances which are bound in space-time would move with them?

...A question best left to the Jedi, that is...

My Deserted Island

I love computers. I also am quite fond of technology, in general. In fact, typically my biggest gripe about technology is that I often am disappointed by the rate with which it advances. Why can't I go to the store and by a personal robot akin to R2-D2 or C-3P0? Why don't we have Star Trek's transporter technology yet? Why hasn't Stark Industries announced repulsor technology yet?

Despite my technophilia, I have, recently, started to wonder if all of this advanced technology that has, effectively, made the world so small that people on remote locations half a world apart can video conference with each other (or pwn each other) in real time is merely increasing the general stress level of all parties concerned. Communication has become not just prevalent, but pervasive. Ironically, I am discussing this via the Internet - the single most prevalent and pervasive communication channel in the world.

I have even toyed around with the possibility of purchasing a small island somewhere and setting up "camp," so to speak, with a self-sustaining home powered by a solar panel array and wind power, with a garden that produces just enough food to support me and mine. To simplify.

Imagine... If you owned your home outright, your land outright... you had no use for a vehicle... your electrical needs were met (for free) by the sun and the wind... and you had, for all intents and purpose, no need (okay, little need) for money. Imagine the freedom this would provide. You could do any of several low-income things and generate enough money to get by.

Probably most ironic in this entire scenario is that I can't imagine attempting this without some sort of (reasonably high-speed) Internet access. If I were that removed from the bustle of everyday modern life, I would definitely need some way to communicate... and the Internet seems to do a good job of replacing telephones, televisions and newspapers.

...but I never forget a Face(book)

Ah, social networking sites. There are so many out there, each with their own little twists or gimmicks or specific focus. Lately, I've been trying to reconnect with friends from days gone by on Facebook. That's been an interesting experience, and an eye-opening one.

When I was about to marry my beautiful bride, Ashley, we had talked about what her name would be. Hyphenation came up and, at the time, I felt very hurt and insulted. I wanted the world to know that she was with me. I wanted her to take my last name ...to become a Perkins.

In the end, that's what she did, and she tells me, from time to time, that she is happy to be a Perkins. Usually, it's when I'm tossing around the idea of changing my name from "Robert Earle Perkins" to "Game Vortex .com". Perhaps she's mainly not too thrilled in becoming Mrs. ".com", but she and I are both happy with our new life together, and I think, for her, the name is part of that.

However, it wasn't until recently, as I tried to locate friends from back in high school, that I see how hard it can be to find someone once their name has been changed. On Facebook, I search for females from back in high school and pull back various results, often nothing that looks like it's likely to be the correct one. Most of the women I went to school with have since gotten married and, since I don't know their last names, it's difficult to find them. In fact, I end up letting others do most of the work. When I find someone I know, I look at their friends, in hopes that I will recognize someone from high school.

It seems strange, actually... most of the people from my high school (located an hour north of Baton Rouge) seem to have settled in Baton Rouge or the immediate vicinity, but I never see any of them as I go about the city. I suppose I only shop in a couple of grocery stores and I don't really frequent the mall, but I do eat at a lot of restaurants ...yet I never see anyone from "back in the day."

To compound things, there will often be search results that look like they might be someone I know, but when I try to look to verify, either the profile is locked unless you're a accepted friend or there's no profile picture... or the profile pic isn't clear and all of the other pictures they have are of other people - friends, family and the like.

It can get quite tiring. But, Facebook can serve as a nice way to keep in touch with friends you don't see so much anymore.

Do you know me? Check my Facebook page and say "hi."

Robert Perkins' Facebook profile

Butterflies (with baseball bats) in my stomach...

[Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that blog posts, such as this one, that mention medical procedures may not be for the weak at heart... or stomach.]

You know that "butterflies in the stomach" feeling that you can get sometimes when you're nervous about something? Well, yesterday I had a "throat scope" done on me to check for any damage from stomach acid issues I've been having. Other than some mild throat irritation, everything seemed to go just fine, thank you very much.

But then, this morning, I got a call back from the clinic. Completely routine, mind you, just checking up on me, reminding me that I can call on Friday for my results and that I have a follow up appointment in two months, but it got me spooked, I guess... a little worried.

Now, as I sit here writing this, my stomach is churning and sore and I don't know how much of it is butterflies, how much is (perhaps) simple bruising or something (they did remove some polyps while they were in there) and how much might be the McDonalds food I ate for lunch squeezing out of my stomach and around my pancreas.

It's not a good thing when the "butterflies" you have are due to an abnormal feeling in your stomach. It's downright self propagating.

Anyone up for starting a new Internet bubble?

So, I found this via Twitter...

http://jalopnik.com/5120877/carpocalypse-deals-five+bedroom-home-going-for-8995-in-detroit

...and, while this particular house needs more than just a little fixing up, it looks like there would be some ridiculous opportunities in Detroit. Even if the Auto industry was to go away, as long as they have reasonable Internet access available, this could support Internet-based companies. And, with a 5 bedroom 3 bath house available for 10k and skyscrapers standing abandoned, there should appropriately sized/priced locations for websites of just about any size.

Perhaps there needs to be a "summer" GameVorplex; a second site that doesn't get subjected to tropical storms and hurricanes...

...I'm just saying...

Look what the Matt dragged in...

Found out about FoxyTunes.com today via Twitter and Matt Paddock. Cool site... with a lot of great artists, including...

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants (commonly abbreviated to TMBG) is an American pop/rock duo consisting of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, collectively known as "the two Johns" or "John and John". Known for their experimental / pop music, they have been popular on college campuses and earned a reputation as "intellectual rock" or "nerd rock." The band has maintained a loyal following over its 20+ years of existence, enough that fans rushed an online poll and got John Linnell voted one of People Magazine's "Most Beautiful People" in 1998 . more...

[via FoxyTunes / They Might Be Giants]

...who give one of the best live performances I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. Awesome artists and awesome performers.

Merry Christmas, Check! Fiery Inferno in Kitchen, Check!

While having three inches of snow destroy our new outdoor canopy or having a hurricane knock down approximately half of the trees in our neighborhood really would have been enough excitement in 2008, we had the (mis)fortune of managing to have a reasonably sized grease fire in the kitchen this past weekend.

We were having a holiday get-together, with Kamber O' Blythe, Ravebaby, J.R.Nip, Psibabe and myself (Geck0) all chillin' at the GameVorplex. I made a stack of funnel cakes for the crew, but Kamber and Ravebaby had to run out on an errand, leaving us to eat their funnel cakes. When they returned, Psibabe started the oil for me to make some more and informed me, but I had told her I didn't want to make any more, not to bother. She didn't hear that and began playing Tomb Raider: Underworld for review. When I came out of the office, J.R.Nip was trying to help her work through a puzzle, and I sat down to help them figure out where to go next.

A couple of minute later, Psibabe said it smelled like something was burning and realized it must be the oil. When we rounded the corner into the kitchen, it was not just burning, but flaming at least a foot in the air. It wasn't just oil, it was a LOT of oil. You deep fry funnel cakes. It would take a while for the oil to burn off.

A lot of things run through your head when you find yourself, suddenly, staring at a lot of hot flame. In your house. The first thought, of course, is oh-my-God-that's-not-supposed-to-be-there. Then, you start trying to think of ways that you might put it out. My immediate thought was that I could post a question on Yahoo Answers and in three days, I should have a good answer. Of course, my immediate realization was that I would probably need to find an answer a lot QUICKER than three days. Minutes would be nice. I also thought about running to the office and looking it up on Google, but I decided that, as quick as I am at searching for things, I needed to figure something out then and there. Someone suggested a fire extinguisher... which would be a good idea... if we knew where it was and if it was the right type for grease fires. Of course, we didn't, and I'm pretty sure it isn't.

Something then occurred to me that I had learned from watching the special features of some movie: there are two white powdery substances commonly found in a kitchen. Flour and Baking Soda. One of them will put out the fire, the other will burn quickly when aerated and, so, will cause a fiery flash, making things worse. At the time, I couldn't think of which was which. FOR THOSE WHO NEED TO KNOW: BAKING SODA CAN BE USED TO PUT OUT BURNING OIL.

The very next thing that occurred to me wasn't how to put out the fire. It was exactly how much the three of us, all intelligent, level-minded adults, reminded me of The Sims when they have their cooking mishaps. We were, for all intents and purposes, waving our hands around and jogging in place, much like The Sims do. I've always thought that The Sims reduced life to something that can be looked at with a passing glance, but I had hoped that the reaction to a kitchen fire was more exaggerated than it evidently is.

Other suggestions were thrown in by the others and I had thought of a couple, myself. Throw water on it... no, that would be BAD. Throw ice on it? No, Ice is water, too. Put a wet towel over it? Well, that's still water, and if the heat steams off the water quick enough, we have a flaming towel. Too risky. I thought about putting it in the oven and letting it consume all of the air, I mean, hey - the oven's designed for high temps. The only reason I didn't do that one is because I wasn't sure how air-tight the oven was or just how hot that oil was burning... and I was rapidly getting to the point I was going to try it, anyway. I was later told that doing so could have destroyed the wiring in the oven, but it would have been a way to stop the fire from spreading and contain the smoke, so even looking back, that would have been my preferred solution, after fire extinguisher and baking soda. The other thought I had, and the one I was ready to go with, was to get the biggest, deepest pot we had (preferably over a foot in depth), dump the flaming mess into it and carefully, yet quickly, escort it out of the house and into the back yard.

However, before I could put this plan into action (before I could remember where the big pot was kept), J.R.Nip decides to be the hero. He grabs the skillet of flames and turns to run out the back door, which he had opened earlier to vent the smoke. This could have been a great idea. I had wanted to do much the same thing, except with higher walls on the pot, so liquid fire wouldn't fall onto anything. The only problems were that there was a large dining room table in his path. And carpet. And the fact that he's typically pretty clumsy. That would be why Psibabe shrieked when she saw that he was going to make the attempt. He instantly aborted his heroic attempt and went to return the flames to the stove top, but the sudden change in direction caused some of the flaming oil to spill to the ground... and his awaiting bare feet. The fallen fire quenched instantly, but it goes without saying that it was still very, very, very hot oil.

With the pan back on the stove and half of the grease out of the way, the flames had died down a bit, so we went with my larger-pot-and-rush-out-the-back-door plan. The flames died out and, currently, the pot is still out there.

We rushed J.R. to the Urgent Care facility and a mere hour and fifteen minutes after burning his foot, he got medical treatment. He says it only hurts when he puts pressure on it, now, but the blisters are... the stuff of horror-films. With luck, it should heal with very little scarring, if any, but it's too early to tell for now.

It was an eventful Saturday... the kind that makes me remember an old Chinese curse, "May your live in interesting times."