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His followers called him Mahasamatman and said he was a god. He preferred to drop the Maha- and the -atman, however, and called himself Sam. He never claimed to be a god. But then, he never claimed not to be a god. Circumstances being what
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Sam I am.
“The sole aim of the institute’s existence is to bring together the world’s greatest intellects for a few weeks in order to hold seminars on a cutting-edge research topic of their choice. Situated on the outskirts of the university, away from students and other distractions, the building is especially designed to encourage the academics to concentrate on collaboration and brainstorming. There are no dead-end corridors in which to hide and every office faces a central forum. The mathematicians are supposed to spend time in this open area, and are discouraged from keeping their office doors closed. Collaboration while moving around the institute is also encouraged—even the elevator, which travels only three floors, contains a blackboard. In fact every room in the building has at least one blackboard, including the bathrooms.”
― Fermat's Enigma
― Fermat's Enigma
“Becka hastened to the window. “Its motor isn’t on at all,” Gordo pointed out. “Its drone control isn’t active. You can tell from the lights on top. They’re all off. The things running on pure loco. Someone’s teleporting it all around!” “Translocating, not teleporting,’” snapped Becka. “Can’t you get that one thing straight? Loco applies affine transformations to the subdimensional pregeometry that underlies the spacetime foam. Loco edits our reality from the outside. Loco is nothing like ‘teleportation.’” “Sure it is,” said Gordo, baiting her. “It’s like on Star Trek.” “Christ, you’re a moron.”
― Loco
― Loco
“Both Samuel Butler and Olaf Stapledon saw that mind, once given a taste of time, would never rest until eternity lay within its grasp. Thus we pursue those relations between sequence and structure that allow us to escape time’s surface, venturing into that ocean that separates eternity from the instant in which we exist. Mathematics and music are two of the vehicles that assist us in our escape. Mathematics is available to a few; music is available to all. Mathematics allows us to assemble mental structures by which we comprehend entire sequences of logical implication at once. Music allows us to assemble temporal sequences into mental scaffolding that transcends the thinness of time in which we live. Through music, we are able to share four-dimensional structures we are otherwise only able to observe in slices, one moment at a time.”
― Darwin Among The Machines: The Evolution Of Global Intelligence
― Darwin Among The Machines: The Evolution Of Global Intelligence
“The idea of a classic mathematical proof is to begin with a series of axioms, statements that can be assumed to be true or that are self-evidently true. Then by arguing logically, step by step, it is possible to arrive at a conclusion. If the axioms are correct and the logic is flawless, then the conclusion will be undeniable. This conclusion is the theorem. Mathematical theorems rely on this logical process and once proven are true until the end of time. Mathematical proofs are absolute.”
― Fermat's Enigma
― Fermat's Enigma
“His bluegene pill fell to the floor. It made a tiny tic and rolled out of sight. “Oh well,” said Jack, turning to leave the bathroom. “Another one gone.” “Get down on the floor and look for it!” I yelled. “You knows what happens if you miss too many doses.” “I turn into roadkill,” said Jack. “Or so Hector says. But it’s a slow process.” “Not that slow.” With a theatrical sigh, I bent over to peer at the base of the sink cabinet. The things I do for my friends. “When something small drops onto the floor it disappears,” said Jack. “Surely you’ve noticed that, Bart.” “It’s Bert,” I muttered. He was always forgetting my name. “Looking for it makes things worse,” said Jack. “Elementary quantum mechanics. The observer effect. An electron doesn’t have a position until it’s observed. A dropped pill isn’t fully lost until you look for it. And then its wave function sidles away. Across the dimensions.” Bending down is easy, it’s straightening up that’s hard. I managed though, and I looked Jack in the eye, with my pulse pounding in my ears. “Across the dementia?” Jack laughed in my face. “Dimensions! I explained all this to you the other night, Bert. When we were sitting out on the porch watching the cars melt into the night. Did you forget? Or maybe you weren’t paying attention.”
― Where the Lost Things Are
― Where the Lost Things Are
Deep State Radio Book Group
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This is a group for Deep State Radio Nerds and all who are interested in and inquisitive about the world and how it works. We will read fiction and no ...more
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Books mentioned on beloved podcast KEN AND ROBIN TALK ABOUT STUFF since July 2021
Fred’s 2025 Year in Books
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