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1. nindokag (nindokag@refactorcamp.org)'s status on Tuesday, 11-Jun-2019 20:29:40 EDT nindokag

   https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2019/05/30/the-age-of-diffraction/

   "The latter condition is what I’ve been calling the Great Weirding. Another good term for it is narrative collapse. The present interregnum between aeons of human history which began with the death of Harambe the gorilla."

   I understand maybe 40% of this post, but it sure was mind-expanding to read. My takeaway is that we should be taking this opportunity to forge our own, new, better narratives rather than trying to put things "back to normal". @vgr would you agree?

   1. Strange Attractor (strangeattractor@refactorcamp.org)'s status on Wednesday, 12-Jun-2019 10:06:26 EDT Strange Attractor

      in reply to

      @nindokag

      I thought it would be neat to talk about some ribbonfarm posts on this mastodon instance, but it hasn't happened all that much yet - so thanks for starting a discussion.

      The post mentions some things I am interested in, such as quantum mechanics, subjective experience of time, using science metaphors to talk about other things, relationships situated in an environment. Overall I liked it.

      1. Strange Attractor (strangeattractor@refactorcamp.org)'s status on Wednesday, 12-Jun-2019 10:11:46 EDT Strange Attractor

         in reply to

         @nindokag

         My experience of reading it started off something like, a bunch of eye-rolling at the particle vs wave metaphor near the beginning. Not because of the way it was being used, but because the particle vs wave lens on quantum theory is a strange artifact of history, caused by the momentum of old assumptions and the way in which it was discovered.

         1. Strange Attractor (strangeattractor@refactorcamp.org)'s status on Wednesday, 12-Jun-2019 10:20:07 EDT Strange Attractor

            in reply to

            @nindokag

            I remember reading the Less Wrong Quantum Sequence and muttering things to myself like "Are you kidding me?" and "They don't switch between acting like a particle and acting like a wave -- they act like Complex Numbers all the time?!" and "Why didn't anyone tell me???"

            I have a variety of thoughts about Less Wrong, but I haven't read anything at all like the Quantum sequence. It's amazing, and needed. I have minor quibbles, but there's no textbook like it.
            https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/hc9Eg6erp6hk9bWhn/the-quantum-physics-sequence

            1. Strange Attractor (strangeattractor@refactorcamp.org)'s status on Wednesday, 12-Jun-2019 10:21:06 EDT Strange Attractor

               in reply to

               @nindokag

               TL:DR wave vs particle is not a real thing.

               Though it is fun to make jokes about it.

               And a metaphor doesn't have to be accurate or refer to real things to be useful.

               1. Strange Attractor (strangeattractor@refactorcamp.org)'s status on Wednesday, 12-Jun-2019 10:38:37 EDT Strange Attractor

                  in reply to

                  @nindokag

                  Then, reading the post more, I got a feeling of recognition of what was being described.

                  The post was written in such a way that it expected me to find it easy to relate to the classical way and the diffraction thing being the difficult part to get my head around.

                  For me it's the opposite. The "overall harmony" concept feels unfamiliar.

                  The Great Weirding hasn't changed my subjective experience of time much. For me it's more about watching other people starting to deal with weird.

                  1. Strange Attractor (strangeattractor@refactorcamp.org)'s status on Wednesday, 12-Jun-2019 10:49:51 EDT Strange Attractor

                     in reply to

                     @nindokag

                     I've been living without feeling the overall harmony for at least 15 years. I'm not sure if I've ever felt it.

                     My life hasn't gotten any less weird since the Great Weirding.

                     1. Strange Attractor (strangeattractor@refactorcamp.org)'s status on Wednesday, 12-Jun-2019 10:55:28 EDT Strange Attractor

                        in reply to

                        @nindokag

                        I'm not sure what my takeaways from the post are.

                        I sort of like the diffraction metaphor, so I suppose "neat metaphor" is one takeaway.

                        Also, realizing that there's a thing that other people were used to experiencing that they are losing is a way to orient myself socially a bit.

                        1. Strange Attractor (strangeattractor@refactorcamp.org)'s status on Wednesday, 12-Jun-2019 10:57:17 EDT Strange Attractor

                           in reply to

                           @nindokag

                           Giving feedback on:
                           "My takeaway is that we should be taking this opportunity to forge our own, new, better narratives rather than trying to put things "back to normal"."

                           My perspective is something like:

                           1) Forging my own narratives is a basic day-to-day maintenance task for me. There haven't been adequate existing ones for me to draw upon. A lot of my life is invisible or unacknowledged by mainstream narratives, and has been for decades.

                           1. Strange Attractor (strangeattractor@refactorcamp.org)'s status on Wednesday, 12-Jun-2019 11:05:49 EDT Strange Attractor

                              in reply to

                              @nindokag

                              2) "Normal" wasn't working all that well for me even before the "Great Weirding."

                              I suppose the Great Weirding is different in Canada, where I live, than it is in the USA. It is happening here too.

                              I'm not even sure what "putting things back to normal" would be like, or why that would seem like a viable course of action.

                              New normalcy bubbles will get built, it's just a matter of time. It's sort of cool to be in between them though. And I have Design Opinions about them.