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As has been obvious in the recent influx, it's barely a "suggestion", a flag to be waved to ease up on someone who might not have paid any attention to the board before spewing forth their own brand of shit that they think is original and unique. At least that's what I've observed.

I lurk, don't post too much (since I can't stand making lots of "what <poster whoever> said!" posts) and when I DO post I try to edit it a few times to not be an incoherent fuckwit. I still might BE an incoherent fuckwit, but at least I tried to make whatever point I was getting at in a way that might be understood by someone other than myself.

If my arbitrary post count is <50 and I'm spewing like a total fuckwit, I expect to be called out on it by at least one or two people. This seems to happen pretty well, and the 50 post thing keeps this to a minimum, since it keeps it from being EVERYONE piling on the n00b poster and limits it to just a few people that need to call out stupidity and fuckwiticisms as a gut-level automatic response.

All in all, it's a rule that can be (and is) broken when needed as an outlet. Seems to be serving its purpose (limiting the n00b flaming but keeping it as an option if it's obvious/semi-warranted) in that regard.

Very good stuff.

Yeah - just realized that. I always get that one mixed up with some other quantum physics. I guess I'm thinking of collapsing the wave-particle duality into one state via observation - more along the Schroedinger's Cat deal but not specifically that.

That's what I get for going to a Music school and reading all this in my spare time 

Trying to link Quantum physics to the larger gravitational-level world (whether it's through matter, energy, whatever) is THE current goal in the sciences. Einstein refered to this as the "Theory of Everything".

The fact that quantum determinism seems to be going on all the time in a sub-atomic level yet is stubbornly refusing to tie into the larger realm of electromagnetics, gravity and nuclear (atom-level) forces is one of the biggest issues with the sciences ATM.

I'd actually argue that "Free Will" exists ONLY at the quantum level, and interacts with the macro-level where strict determinism seems to be mathematically provable - set up the proper initial conditions and the results on a macro scale are given, fixed and provable in advance. I think (with ZERO official background in this stuff so take it for what it's worth) that the quantum state determines the initial condition that is then set in motion on the macro scale, and the only vestige of "free will" we have is in determining the quantum value that triggers the subsequent conditions.

Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle at work, essentially, in that our act of observing determines the specific space/time variable that can be observed. In essence, by making the choice to <insert action here> we then  set in motion specific events/reactions based inevitably on that initial choice, which then has a ripple effect on other choices, both for us and for others.

Sometimes I wish I went with the Math/Physics instead of the Music, but I've always prefered my numbers to sing rather than dance. At times like this, though, it highlights my lack of hard math to back up the weird concepts I have 

Hmmmm. Just read it front to back for the first time, so I'll give some first impressions (before I read it a few more times to really get a feel for things).

The tone IS a bit more harsh and gritty than the PD. It's got some lulz, but it also came across to me as trying to be the smelling salts under the brain of the reader. If smelling salts were rose-scented, they wouldn't work, and it's the same with BIP from my first read-through.

The PD is a product of the "Happy Wanderer" 60s, when dada, abstraction, chaos (in the more modern mathematical/physics sense) and surrealism were just starting to be explored. Now, 40+ years on when these ideas/concepts have been blended into the collective (un)concious to a much larger degree, it would be ineffective to just "do the PD" all over again. Then, there needed to be more sugar since the taste of the medicine was so new. Now, with the taste at least somewhat understood, too much sugar will dilute the medicine.

That's not to say it should have NO lulz, or should JUST be a harsh slap to the brain, but to avoid adapting the delivery of the information to the time it's being delivered is a disservice to the message IMO. I like the balance of mirth and message. It's not perfect, but it's a work in progress and should NEVER be finished.

I loves me some Pratchett. I gobble up these books as fast as the man can write them.

Thief of Time is excellent (I would definitely second a nomination of the Sweeper for Discordian Sainthood - we need a copy of his notebook!) and I'm also very partial to Night Watch, a great satire on revolution. Small Gods satirizes philosophy and religion wonderfully as well. He does a great job of poking fun at whatever he feels like without slamming his point over your head like a brick to the face - and makes you laugh while he's doing it. Highly recommended.

You Brits are lucky to get the tv shows in addition to the books over there - I can't wait to check out that Hogfather stuff. I'm definitely curious to see how an ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION gets portrayed - who knows, maybe they pull it off.

 

Brought a tear to my eye. If anyone ever wants a good Discordian motivational speechifying rant/sermon, there it is.

This made me think of the hilarious "bomb scare" here in Boston recently. I've always loved guerilla tactics (no matter what they're for - revolution, marketing, art, whatever!) and that was so funny I was laughing for a solid five minutes the first time I saw one of the "bombs". During that afternoon I was doing my best to reinforce the paranoia (all too easy - even though who the hell cares about blowing up Boston? Yankees fans? Someone that didn't get into Harvard? Hah!) and the ensuing idiocy was the icing on the cake.

Believe the bullshit and you become it (and it becomes you). Play with it, laugh at it, toy with it, and it's the best tool you have to do whatever the hell you want