Back from the Future

Okay, so I got back from Seattle yesterday. It was okay. I got to see my two young cousins, Anton and Polly (interesting), hang out with my apprentice, eat bbq, and see an old friend from high school (albeit briefly). It was an otherwise uneventful trip. In the end, I left for the 'Kane, and then went over to Jeff's place for his birthday. We went to the Mongolian Grill, then returned and watched some anime, specifically a film entitled The Place that Was Promised When We Were Young. The basic plot is about three kids who plan to build an airplane to fly to a tower that looms just over the horizon. Quantum physics, comas, and plot twists occur, and the whole thing turns out to be a rewarding experience. While there is definitely a sci-fi undertone to the proceedings, the focus lies squarely on the relationships between the three main characters as they grow older. There's nothing wrong with science fiction (it is one of my favorite genres, after all), but the film should be enjoyable even for those people who don't care for science fiction. There's also some interesting stuff in there about possible worlds and dreams of the universe (philosophers take note!). This actually brings me to a thought that has been ruminating in my mind for some time.

If we think for a bit about what it means for a possible world to exist, it seems that certain dreams are in fact windows into possible worlds (namely, those dreams that are composed solely of logically possible components). The question then becomes: did those possible worlds always exist, or were they brought into existence by the act of dreaming them? If the latter, do those possible worlds cease to exist after a person has woken up? Note that I am assuming hard-core David Lewis-style Possible Worlds Realism here. Just some thoughts to ponder.

Homeward bound (I wish I was)

Today I leave for Seattle to see the folks, and also my grandmother (she's out visiting). On one level, I look forward to seeing the family and all of that, but, truth be told, I'm not looking forward to much else about this trip. Mom and Dad will most likely spend most of the time talking about business (it's the one thing I suck at), while I feel increasingly alienated. The thing is, I love my family, and they love me, but we don't share very many common interests. As a result, conversations can be somewhat awkward, filled with long embarrassing silences. Let's run through the interests:

1. Philosophy. Mom will at least feign interest until I say something she disagrees with, and then she just tells me to drop it. Dad just comes out and says "I don't get it," and that's the end of that.
2. Science Fiction/Fantasy. Mom thinks it's trash. Dad thinks it's blasphemous. Anna has no use for it. Andrew just doesn't like to read.
3. Role-playing. Mom thinks it's too nerdy. Dad thinks it's vaguely satanic. They know I do it, and there's nothing to be done.
4. Politics. Okay, at least this way it is interesting. Our family runs the gamut on this one. Dad is Mr. Republican, Mom is right-leaning moderate, while I'm left-leaning moderate. This is one of the few topics in which genuine conversations takes place, albeit not necessarily the most harmoniously. Dad and I started talking more with each other when we realized there was genuine disagreement between us in politics. We keep it civil, and things go fine, but there's only so much politics one can talk about before one gets bored.
5. Relationships. Mom loves to talk about this sort of thing. I don't. At least, not right now. See previous posts for the specific reason.

Oh well. At any rate, I'm thinking about getting the apprentices together for a symposium tomorrow night, so I can at least have some sort of good conversation. You know how it goes. We'll see. I will be back in the 'Kane on Friday.

Yet another Quiz Result

the Wit (60% dark, 34% spontaneous, 27% vulgar)

your humor style: CLEAN | COMPLEX | DARK You like things edgy, subtle, and smart. I guess that means you're probably an intellectual, but don't take that to mean you're pretentious. You realize 'dumb' can be witty--after all isn't that the Simpsons' philosophy?--but rudeness for its own sake, 'gross-out' humor and most other things found in a fraternity leave you totally flat. I guess you just have a more cerebral approach than most. You have the perfect mindset for a joke writer or staff writer. Your sense of humor takes the most effort to appreciate, but it's also the best, in my opinion. Also, you probably loved the Office. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/. PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Jon Stewart - Woody Allen - Ricky Gervais

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 67% on dark You scored higher than 16% on spontaneous You scored higher than 36% on vulgar

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid