Malcolm R. Campbell's Blog, page 24
August 18, 2023
If it can happen, it will happen
Is “if it can happen, it will happen” pure cynicism, a long-ago mathematician’s theory, a quantum mechanics idea, a version of Murphy’s law, or common sense? Perhaps it is all of these.
Cox and Forshaw will tell you it’s a quantum mechanics idea in their book, as the subtitle suggests. I agree with them.
Or maybe French mathematician Émile Borel thought up the idea in 1943. Or maybe it was in Morgan in 1866
Many of us see it as a version of Murphy’s law. When I was in the Navy, we saw Murphy’s law everywhere because that was just the nature of ships, oceans, and wars.
People will always debate where the law came from, but apparently –as Wikipedia says, “Though similar statements and concepts have been made over the course of history, the law itself was coined by, and is named after, American aerospace engineer Edward A. Murphy Jr.; its exact origins are debated, but it is generally agreed it originated from Murphy and his team following a mishap during rocket sled tests some time between 1948 and 1949, and was finalized and first popularized by testing project head John Stapp during a later press conference. ”
Common sense tells us that the old Chinese curse, ” May you live in interesting times” doesn’t really mean “interesting,” but “bad.” I think Murphy would agree. Lately, the times have been playing out abnormally as a cosmic SNAFU as those of us in the military abbreviated “Situation Normal All Fucked Up.” (Parson mon français.) Or, as the Austrians might say, “Fatal but not serious.”
SNAFU is people drinking all night in a bar while climate change is causing the seas to rise up to the doorstep. Hell, maybe “if it can happen, it will happen” is pure cynicism as we see our politicians arguing about how many angels can dance of the head of a pin while ignoring what’s really important.
Actually, I think that everything that can happen has already happened. We just haven’t noticed it yet.
–Malcolm
August 16, 2023
‘As you read these words, copies of you are being created.’
So begins the publisher’s description of Sean Carroll’s 2020 book Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime. If you’ve wondered about quantum mechanics, especially the Many Worlds Interpretation (MWI), this book will clear things up for you in this universe and, possibly, others.
Nature Magazine wrote: “At the beginning of Something Deeply Hidden, Sean Carroll cites the tale of the fox and the grapes from Aesop’s Fables. A hungry fox tries to reach a bunch of grapes dangling from a vine. Finding them beyond his grasp, but refusing to admit failure, the fox declares the grapes to be inedible and turns away. That, Carroll declares, encapsulates how physicists treat the wacky implications of quantum mechanics. Carroll wants that to stop. The fox can reach the grapes, he argues, with the many-worlds theory. “
From the Publisher“As you read these words, copies of you are being created.
“Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist and one of this world’s most celebrated writers on science, rewrites the history of twentieth-century physics. Already hailed as a masterpiece, Something Deeply Hidden shows for the first time that facing up to the essential puzzle of quantum mechanics utterly transforms how we think about space and time. His reconciling of quantum mechanics with Einstein’s theory of relativity changes, well, everything.
“Most physicists haven’t even recognized the uncomfortable truth: Physics has been in crisis since 1927. Quantum mechanics has always had obvious gaps—which have come to be simply ignored. Science popularizers keep telling us how weird it is, how impossible it is to understand. Academics discourage students from working on the “dead end” of quantum foundations. Putting his professional reputation on the line with this audacious yet entirely reasonable book, Carroll says that the crisis can now come to an end. We just have to accept that there is more than one of us in the universe. There are many, many Sean Carrolls. Many of every one of us.
“Copies of you are generated thousands of times per second. The Many-Worlds theory of quantum behavior says that every time there is a quantum event, a world splits off with everything in it the same, except in that other world the quantum event didn’t happen. Step-by-step in Carroll’s uniquely lucid way, he tackles the major objections to this otherworldly revelation until his case is inescapably established.
“Rarely does a book so fully reorganize how we think about our place in the universe. We are on the threshold of a new understanding—of where we are in the cosmos, and what we are made of.”
From the Reviewers
“Sean Carroll is always lucid and funny, gratifyingly readable, while still excavating depths. He advocates an acceptance of quantum mechanics at its most minimal, its most austere—appealing to the allure of the pristine. The consequence is an annihilation of our conventional notions of reality in favor of an utterly surreal world of Many-Worlds. Sean includes us in the battle between a simple reality versus a multitude of realities that feels barely on the periphery of human comprehension. He includes us in the ideas, the philosophy, and the foment of revolution. A fascinating and important book.”—Janna Levin, professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College and author of Black Hole Blues
“[A] challenging, provocative book . . . Moving smoothly through different topics and from objects as small as particles to those as enormous as black holes, Carroll’s exploration of quantum theory introduces readers to some of the most groundbreaking ideas in physics today.”—Publishers Weekly
“What makes Carroll’s new project so worthwhile, though, is that while he is most certainly choosing sides in the debate, he offers us a cogent, clear, and compelling guide to the subject while letting his passion for the scientific questions shine through every page.”—NPR
I’m biased, of course, because the MWI is my passion.
August 15, 2023
‘Summer Serenade’ by Elise Skidmore
As a disclaimer, I should mention that I have known Elise online since the days when CompuServe was the pre-eminent social, technical, and professional network in cyberspace. Both of us were participants in the very busy Literary Forum where Elise was on the staff for almost ten years.
Summer Serenade was released on August 10 by Heart Ally Books at 112 pages. Skidmore’s previous books (Looking for the Light: Hindsight is 2020, A Dance of Dreams. among others) show us a prolific poet and short story author. She also produces her books’ illustrations.
From the Publisher
“A New Yorker by birth, Elise Skidmore lives on the south shore of Long Island with her husband. Recently retired, they enjoy spending time together and love to travel. Their nest may be empty, and though she misses her two daughters, she is very proud of the wonderful women they have become.
“She has been a writer since childhood, with poetry being her focus for many years. It’s her way of working through dark times and celebrating the joyful ones. SUMMER SERENADE is her fifth volume of poetry. Two of her earlier anthologies were finalists for Epic eBook Awards. She is also an amateur photographer and her original photography can be seen in all her books. While one may summarize Elise in any number of wonderful descriptors, the chief among them must always be a writer.”
Since I grew up on Florida’s Gulf Coast, I appreciate the book’s dedication: “To anyone who has held a seashell to their ear and heard the ocean singing.” Yes, I have. And then there’s the opening story “You Wanted a Story.” It’s a wonderful prelude to the poems that follow.
August 14, 2023
I thought I would know everything by now
When I was little, my parents, grandparents, and aunts (one of who lived well past 100) all knew everything. That was how the world seemed to work when I was in kindergarten through junior high school. Having zoomed past another birthday two days ago, I realize that old people don’t know everything and it’s not because of dementia but because they never broke the code.
One thing I do know is that the person who promised her Bitcoin (whatever that is) dealings had been so successful along with winning a suitcase of lottery money, that she could finally send me “a car for people who thought they would ultimately know everything.” Sadly, the car never arrived and her phone number has been changed to some communal phone at Sing Sing in Ossining, New York. Here’s the photo she sent me before entering the slammer. If you have to ask what it is and/or how much it costs, it’s not the car for you.
One thing you discover with age is that the stuff you believed 50 years ago that everyone else thought was nonsense has now become the latest fad. People tell me I’m too old to understand it. I say, “I understood it before you were born.” They reply, “So you’re a guru, then, and know everything.” In response, I say, “Nathaniel Hawthorne was right when he said, ‘A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.”
Other than that, I can’t say that I don’t know anything other than my wife’s name, where I parked the car, and that I can’t keep putting a lot of Tabasco Sauce on my food including the food of love where I don’t play on, I get heartburn.
I strongly suspect that–due to my belief in the Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Physics–that many of us don’t live in the universe where were started out. But I can never quite catch the change happening. The only clue is today’s history classes that no longer teach things I remember happening. In today’s universe, perhaps they didn’t, or else we’ve sanitized it out of existence. The chart shown here seems self-evident, so I won’t waste time going back to the work of folks like Niels Bohr and Max Planck. I’ll note that I really like Werner Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle because the older one gets, the less certainty s/he has about everything.
I’m certain about one thing. When you’re my age, you don’t know everything such as the speed and location of an electron. I strongly suspect that this is the new way of the world, one (e.g.) when even Senators and Congressmen/Women don’t simultaneously know the location of their asses and the nearest hole in the ground. This has caused a lot of polarization between the two major parties.
So there it is. As you approach my age (classified) you’ll discover that you don’t know everything, contrary to what you thought would happen when you were ten years old. I can tell you one thing: if you embrace uncertainty, you’ll need fewer Xanax or Ativan prescriptions.
I don’t even know where my cat is.
–Malcolm
Malcolm R. Campbell is the author of “Conjure Woman’s Cat” a novel that shows us what we know and what we don’t know.
August 12, 2023
My favorite Review
Since today’s my birthday, I’ve decided I have a right for some shameless promotion.
Wanda J. Dixon’s warmth and gorgeous singing voice are superb in this story about Conjure Woman Eulalie, which is told through the voice of her cat and spirit companion, Lena. Dixon zestfully portrays Eulalie, who is “older than dirt” and is kept busy casting spells, mixing potions, and advising people–that is, when the “sleeping” sign is removed from her door. Most distinctive is Eulalie’s recurring sigh, which conveys her frustration with Florida in the 1950s, when Jim Crow laws and “Colored Only” signs were routine. Dixon’s Lena is fully believable when she spies around town and reports to Eulalie that rednecks have raped and murdered a young woman. They almost escape until Eulalie persuades a witness to come forward. Listeners will marvel at the magical realism in this story and benefit from the helpful glossary of the charming local dialect. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2016]
August 10, 2023
‘Redemption’ by Deborah J. Ledford
Some years ago, I was a fan of Ledford’s “Smoky Mountain Inquest Series” which I thought was exceptionally well written with a strong sense of place and wonderful action sequences. So I am happy to see a new novel coming out on September 1, the first of the “Eva ‘Lightning Dance’ Duran” series.
From Ledford’s website: “Two-Time Nominee for the Anthony Award in the Best Audiobook Category. Agatha Award winner DEBORAH J LEDFORD is the award-winning author of the upcoming Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran Native American crime fiction novel REDEMPTION from Thomas & Mercer Amazon Publishing, set in Northern New Mexico.
From the Publisher“From award-winning author Deborah J Ledford comes a thrilling new series featuring a Native American sheriff’s deputy who risks it all to find a friend who’s gone missing.
“After four women disappear from the Taos Pueblo reservation, Deputy Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran dives into the case. For her, it’s personal. Among the missing is her best friend, Paloma, a heroin addict who left behind an eighteen-year-old son.
“Eva senses a lack of interest from the department as she embarks on the investigation. But their reluctance only fuels her fire. Eva teams up with tribal police officer and longtime friend Cruz “Wolf Song” Romero to tackle a mystery that could both ruin her reputation and threaten her standing in the tribe.
“And when the missing women start turning up dead, Eva uncovers clues that take her deeper into the reservation’s protected secrets. As Eva races to find Paloma before it’s too late, she will face several tests of loyalty—to her friend, her culture, and her tribe.”
From Ledford’s Website“Before her career as a writer she worked for a decade as a professional scenic artist for motion pictures, industrial films, national commercials and live theatre. Due to her work on industrial films for clients such as Intel and Motorola, Deborah earned security clearance through the US Government. Highest acclaim is for her scenic artistry on the Coen Brothers’ film Raising Arizona.
“Part Eastern Band Cherokee, she spent her summers growing up in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina where her Smoky Mountain Inquest book series are set. She lives in the Phoenix, Arizona area with her extremely patient husband and their awesome Ausky.
“Member of: International Thriller Writers Association (ITW), Sisters in Crime National (SinC), Crime Writers of Color (CWoC), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), Past-President of Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths Arizona Chapter, 2012-2013.”
Looks good!
August 9, 2023
W H Confirms Moxie Robot Writes Biden’s Speeches
Washington DC, August 8, 2023, Star-Gazer News Service White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the President relies on the new Moxie Robot to write his important speeches.
“It began as a test on behalf of Embodied Corp,” she said, “to see how well an AI entity could manage the Situation Room in times of a national crisis. The results were better than expected and highly positive. So we moved on to other tasks: scheduling, travel itineries, public tours, and even press briefings in which Moxie was dressed up to look like me.”
Staffers told reporters that “it wasn’t really rocket science” to give Moxi test runs on handling Cabinet meetings and speech writing.
According to the President’s Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, “Biden’s gaffes are built into the text of the speeches because they give GOP and Fox News analysts something to laugh about ad nauseam while completely missing the important points in the speech. The President is the perfect actor when it comes to pretending he doesn’t know what’s talking about.”
Informed sources said that the only flaw with the Moxie Robot is its tendency to make passes at the First Lady and Vice President Kamala D. Harris during White House teas and state dinners.
Apparently, Moxie told the First Lady, “You broads have come a long way but are still more interesting when you’re not wearing any underwear” and mentioned to Kamala Harris that “I can get you onto the cover of the next Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition if you’ll be a little more friendly if you catch my drift.”
Karine Jean-Pierre admitted that there are still a few software bugs to work out.
August 8, 2023
It takes a lot of moxie to rear children intelligently and lovingly
Since it’s an old word, let’s note that the online dictionary defines “moxie” as “force of character, determination, or nerve.” Parents have a covenant with their children to care for them properly. On the other hand, some parents are too busy, too bored, or too inept to care for their kids.
But there’s hope. A new product named “Moxie” is now on the market for parents who don’t have real moxie. Price tag: $799. Wikipedia says, “A social robot is an autonomous robot that interacts and communicates with humans or other autonomous physical agents by following social behaviors and rules attached to its role.”
Apparently, a lot of parents without moxie want Moxie because the product’s website is slow to load.is slow to load. Once there, they will learn that:
“Moxie is powered by SocialX®, Embodied’s breakthrough software platform that supports advanced conversation through:Conversational AIBody LanguageEye ContactEmotionBehavior AnalyticsPremium Curated Content”They will also learn that Moxie is “huggably soft,” you know like a parent would be if s/he were there. Moxie reaches life skills to kids from five to ten years of age, preparing their delicate psyches for the wonder years ahead. Moxie is purportedly their “bestie robot friend.”
USA Today approves: “Moxie is a robot companion on a mission to learn how to become a good friend to humans. Sent from the Global Robotics Laboratory, or G.R.L. for short, what Moxie needs is a real-life robot mentor, and the G.R.L. has chosen that mentor to be a child. Designed to engage with all kids needing to learn social, emotional, and life skills in the face of autism, anxiety, depression, and more, Moxie and its mentor go on a series of missions that help them both to learn and grow.” I take issue with the notion that a robot will help with autism and anxiety.
In fact, most of the product reviews are favorable. This surprises me because the entire concept is flawed–not in the construction of the robot but in the notion we want a robot rearing our children because the parents can’t be bothered with it.
Maybe those who buy Moxie are really looking for Mary Poppins.
–Malcolm
August 6, 2023
If God told you the Earth would end tomorrow, what you you do today?
I’d do what I always do. Read books, spend time with my wife, and probably write a blog post about the number of people running around like chickens with their heads cut off. What would it serve, though, to do anything else than the things that have made one happy up to that point?
Since I’m combative, my response to God would “No it isn’t” unless I was drunk and might say “I hope you enjoy it.”
More and more scientists and philosophers are saying that the “reality” we see is an illusion and/or it’s a simulation. If so, the end of the Earth would be an illusion. I believe this. So, quite possibly I would see life and consensus reality the same way I always had. Those who don’t see the illusion aspect of life would probably believe they were 
caught between the pages of an apocalyptic novel like George R. Stewart’s Earth Abides or, worse yet, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.
Either book–or a similar book–would be a learning experience because people would remain stuck within their pages until they realized (a) perception is reality, and (b) you create your own reality. If more people understood that now, we might avoid the wrath of climate change. We are already stuck, it seems, within the idea of climate change and, for the most part, don’t seem worried enough to do anything about it–or create a different reality.
Perhaps that’s too much responsibility to consider.
The cat in my novel “Conjure Woman’s Cat” sees reality in the way I’ve described it here. That’s why I have cats.
August 4, 2023
‘I remember when the sun was the boss of the job’
I found that “boss of the job” quote from a disgruntled newspaper editor when I wrote a short piece for a railroad newsletter about the influence of the railroads on the creation of time zones in the U. S.
In fact, without national standards, the railroads created their own five time zones in 1883 because it was impossible to publish schedules or even operate efficiently when every town and county rolled their own time zones. Looking back, Fox News said it was a “Brazen effort to bring sanity to cross-continental rail travel governs many aspects of life today.”
As the History Channel writes, “Most Americans and Canadians quickly embraced their new time zones, since railroads were often their lifeblood and main link with the rest of the world. However, it was not until 1918 that Congress officially adopted the railroad time zones and put them under the supervision of the Interstate Commerce Commission.” That “boss of the job” editor was, I think, in the minority.
The legislation adopting this for the country didn’t arrive until 1918 when Congress made time zones a law under the jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission and then the Department of Transportation.
Union Pacific’s “Track Record,” writes that, “Long before the days of Rolex, Citizen, and Apple, telling time was a little more complicated than simply glancing down at your watch. Back in the early 1800s, the sun served as the official ‘clock’ in the U.S., and time was based on each city’s own solar noon, or the point when the sun is highest in the sky.
“While this may have seemed like a good idea, this timekeeping method resulted in the creation of more than 300 local time zones across the country — not to mention the disparity in local time depending on your location. So, for example, while it could be 12:09 p.m. in New York, it could also be 12:17 p.m. in Chicago.
“Think about all of the confusion that would cause in today’s busy world!”
As 99% Invisible reports, “As the idea of standard times spread, delegates to the International Meridian Conference proposed a globe-spanning system that would involve 24 zones, each one an hour apart. Basically, it was the US-type system that expanded to an international scale. This seems like a fairly obvious solution in hindsight, but none of this was inevitable — time had worked just fine for thousands of years before it was sliced up into a 24-piece spherical pie (albeit with a few rough edges and exceptions).”
Bottom Line: don’t consult your sundial before watching TV, calling people far away, testifying in a murder trial (especially your own), or meeting a hot date from a few towns down the road.
P.S. Don’t get me started on the lunacy of daylight savings time.
