connections

Ive always thought it was interesting how much of first half of 20th was spent on understanding our limits. Relativity tells us we can't go past the speed of light. Quantum mechanics tells us that our ability to concretely talk about things goes to hell when we get on small scales. Turing showed us how weak our computers are, and Godel showed that we can't even really come up with a consistent model of logic. Lorenz showed how the nonlinear world behaved so erratically, making weather prediction hopeless. I guess thats 5 examples: 3 from math, 2 from physics. Thats all i can really think of that fits.

Thats what i think of that era in thought. Realizing we are limited. Ive read that at the turn of the century, many thought that physics as a field was dead because pretty much everything had been discovered. How cocky.

Games

I was thinking about monopoly a couple of nights ago and it occurred to me that the game is a piece of our culture. However, monopoly, is drastically different from lets say chess, go, shogi, chinese chess, cards... etc because its "owned". Over time the game has slowly made more and more complex until being mass manufactured has become the only option for the game.
And so now im considering what it would be like if the game were streamlined and made more abstract. I think it would be beautiful.

like that

iono if ill remember it, but im happy after a couple of hours.

So I was wrong

Of course.

Its that time of year again

Yes that time of year, the end of the semester. Right now im procrastinating studying for a complex analysis test. As always i use this time to review how this semester went.

If i really force myself to look at my school work, its pretty clear that this semester was educational, even if i don't want to admit it. Unfortunately, Ive also learned that im not nearly as interested in some of the subject areas i once thought i was. Completing my major will involve work that im not interested in after all and my boredom with classwork seems to border ever closer into danger. I couldn't have lasted 4 years of imsa, I can't imagine lasting 4 here.

What impresses me most is my more personal life. Even though I didn't meet any of my unrealisitic goals, it seems strange to say that just 4-5 months ago i didn't know anyone like me. I remember thinking a year ago about where id be in this process now. Whoever I was a year ago is so distant from me now, at least rationally.