A collection of thoughts unbound and scrawlings in the life and times of Mr. Wordy

Friday, December 23, 2011

Holiday card


Friends! Family! Romans! Country persons
Lend me your ears. Or eyeballs, as it were. I hope this letter finds you well. According to my Mom, these letters should be about me telling you about my adventures these past 12 months. I can’t say that I’ve ever been very good about talking about myself, but we’ll give it a try.
Anyway Pepper and I have settled into Cleveland very well. It is a grand town (city) and I’m looking forward to exploring it more. Making friends is hard.  Incidentally, I’ve recently recommitted myself towards completing a manuscript. In addition the allure of higher education dangles in front of me: Graduate School. Though, admittedly, I’m still undecided. Will I attempt to relocate once again? Or stay in the Ohio-lands? A great many challenges await. In the mean time I struggle at Target. Working the backroom, throwing boxes and maintaining inventory maybe the most intense job I’ve ever tackled. I won’t bore you (or myself) by describing it. Suffice to say, it has been a worthwhile experience and fantastic exercise!

With love, Marcus

Friday, September 30, 2011

legit post

A writer is a temp-let through which the human experience is interpreted through an individual. Be it fantasy, fiction or even the truth (()_o) through narrative, poem or coherent language, the author reveals more than intended.

or something.
Incidentally, I was not devoured by the ghost of Dave, Grand Specter of Wendy. And I would like to take a moment to reassure the public, of whom I am apart, that there is no cabal of sinister fast food mascots.

    This message approved by the Colonel
  ~~

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Adventures in the Timeline of Marc

   ...It is closing time at Wendy's. the outside lights are dim, it's 12:01 and a single car pulls to the window.

    "WE ARE CLOSED." a polite voice whispers. The grill is still hot, with pattied meat well cooked. Fries bath in salt under warm sunlight. The mop stands like a spear in Adam's hands. It was later, that the time came to count discards and begin the arduous task of cleaning. First I collected the beef patties from the flattop and stored for tomorrow's chili. Wendy's continued to impress me with it's near-lack of food waste. In past jobs we've been forced to cart away pounds of rotten dishes, veggies and soups. Here we sold such quantity that 'left-over' was also a meaningless. So, I was then that I took the waste, after previous nights management permitted free sandwiches to her hard-working staff post hours. Seeing three pieces of fairy cooked  grilled chicken (well past the 4 hour mark) that could be torn a part and boiled into next-night's meal.
    I gave Linda the count, "Four crispy chickens and I took the grilled." I said cheerily.

    She stopped entirely as if struck, turning slowly we connected eyes. "you can't do that."

    I paused. I had suspected the previous manager's policy of over cooked sandwiches was not entirely sanctioned. See, at Monica's we had the luxury of eating damaged, burned or extra food. But only after hours. we were also given allotted shift meal )provided we had a busy night). But knowing, as I do from stories from my ex, ruby's tales of managerdom at Joann Fabrics, I predicted that Wendy's has a strict, you want it, you pay for it attitude towards freebeing employees. Personally I feel that the workers, as part owners, community members and operators of Wendy's have a right to food that we cooked, though purchased by the franchise, is by now unsellable, in the eyes of the owners, fit for the roaches in the dumpster. Thus, I did feel quite confident in intervening in the process of grill to trash. Being fired was the worst outcome.

    "I can pay for it." I offered, perhaps I could keep this job after all. With a second job on the horizon and school still 4 months off, I might test my ability to run two jobs at once, and save my position as Wendy's Crew.

    Linda shrugged. And I felt a tingle of anticipation, a shrivelling, worrisome sensation in my sprunjer.

Silence.

   Yet, It wasn't the repercussions that I thought of from taking discard meat from Wendy's that worried me, but the ominous way she slouched her shoulders and shook her head and said "I'm sorry. and they have you on Camera." She pointed to the dorms upon the ceiling, I waited for something to happen. Nothing. We finished closing, and still not a word after the lights flickered off. While wiping down the stainless steal I speculated what being fired was like. It had happened before, in such a terrible manor that I had grown steal over my heart. Though I felt the cause to be unjust; I loved working Ge-Angelo's but I never did befriend the owner, I was too unready in his eyes (perhaps I was - I was the only one in the kitchen without aspirations of Chefhood. I worked simply for a dime whilst I looked for careers outside a kitchen). I reasoned being fired because I took food one might scavenge from the trash, counted as trash, and, momentarily, still counter-bond. Then why the horrified look and the dejected nod. the sorrow in Linda's big brown eye? surely she did not believe anyone could love a job so much to be crushed by the prospect of an other's forced absence. Well, I began to think of other scenarios. Maybe she'd fire me at the end of close, maybe Ed, the General Manager would do it the next day I worked. The idea of having to wait another day to be laid off didn't seem to be that bothersome. I began to images wild scenarios, the police showing up in a strobe-light lit cars of red and blue. The heal risks of  4 hour plus chicken. The ghost of Dave appearing that night to haunt me. A dark cabal of fast-food owners adding me to their assassination list.


___________________________________________________________
I am typing this so the word will know my story.
I hear the creak of floor boards and the chilling cry cold wind on the windows.
IF I survive the night, I shall post anew.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I'm back, nah-na-na-na

Good day, all!
I am back from a vacation. But back for business. I believe Last installment I shared a song that makes me fall asleep. Today, it's song 11, a song from my favorite band.

    At first I struggled to came to a favorite band. arguing Myself that because I like all genres of music in such varying capasities that I effectively like all genres equally, I could not possibly have a single favored musician. "Ah," I responded, taking a surly pose, "but perhaps not all bands are equally repressentitve of their coesponding genre." taken aback, Myself, I pause to remove these specticles to give dramatic breath to the reply, "suggesting that the muscian, rather than the neffective method of Genre labeling, are a greater representation of muscial taste?" adding, "Hrumph!" "no, really," I press, "of the 3885 songs in iTunes' liberary, 77 of the tracks are from the Gorillaz, followed closely by  66 Beatles tracks. Not including orginal band member projects, this makes the Gorillaz statistically more likely to play given random sampling. If broken down by frequency of play, Gorillaz appear a stagering 12 times in the top hundred plays with all other distribution falling around 1-4 songs per band (only 2 for The Beatles).
   Therefor, my favorite band is the Gorillaz.
 These videos go on. I encourage you to explore them on YouTube for your self.
be well

Monday, May 30, 2011

A song that make we fall alseep, or some thing like this.

rather then saying anything about this particular assignment or speak to it anyway, I'm going to plug this video instead:

...and call the assignment DONE.
k' g'night

Monday, May 23, 2011

Music 5/22/2011

Today I'm s'posed to write and share a song I dance to to which I can dance.
Well, today I didn't feel much like dancing.
But, I guess that's the benefit of tackling a challenge and sticking to it: that sometimes it might force you think in ways you might not normally do.

At first, it was hard to find a song I felt I could genuinely dance to. My melancholy affliction brought me again and again to slow, lullfull ballades.  However, and I'll spare ya'll the lengthiness, in short order I discovered dozens of songs I could dance to. Of this, I could not choose between two. But why should only one song hold the top rating of Marc-dance-ability? Must one choose one, und only vun song?
I could not.
<3

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Music 5/20/11

If there's one thing I'm going to Fuckin' learn before the Void consumes me, it's follow through!
This that attitude in mind, I started this 30days of music goal, and by honey, I'm going to finish it!
Right, so where were we?


day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event

day 08 - a song that you know all the words to


7 down, like 22 to go. I continue in order for ease, I guess.
A song I know all the words to? Thats a hard one. I can sing along (mostly) with alot of songs, but without prep, I can hardly think of any. the birthday song?
Actually, there is one song that come to mind. I know from me heart. And to prove it, I'm going write the lyrics below without Googling them.

Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggglyyyyyypuff jigglyyyyyyy jiggly puufff jigglypuff.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Music 5/17/11

After along Hiatus. I'm back. And back to this month of music.

So where were we?
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
input Song here
It was christmas time. Perhaps not, but that's how i'll always remember it. and even if it wasn't then, it is now. We joined together, the five of us. Our glasses filled our heads over flowing on sweet ambrosia. It steamed in a cauldron, rich anise and cinnamon spice. Exquisite. I recall egg rolls. I don't even like egg rolls. A failed prank call to a place called Egg Roll House resulted in an abundance of egg rolls. Pizza too. both eaten hardily. Between bites smiling teeth and laughter. They were like pizza. I remember that, too. And pictionary and the orange kitten, Kiseki, and the longest fucking Game of Life. EVER! I am short and scrawny. He is a large man in bulk and body. A mountainous delight, the huggable ball of grump, he is Sabi. I am Marcus. Hope, too, was small than he; though she was greater in spirit - next to her, Dionysus seems mild. Ruby, graceful Ruby, our brew-master and masterful beauty reigned the cups and kept us full. Also Bob was there.

I'm not sure why - No. I know why. I hear this song that night for the first time. I heard others as well. Though it is/was this one that stuck: Night Must End - Sleeping at Last

It is a glorious song. Beyond my descriptive abilities. Only suggest you to listen and perhaps hear as I. Since that night, this song has stuck with me. It could be sad. It might be glad. I can only tell you this, I feel no sorrow it it's notes. It has been said, "to all good things come an end." I'll suffer a hundred thousand endings without regret.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Music 5/10/11

day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
I guess I have nostalgia on the brain. A friend dropped off a six pack of Sam Adams at my place last weekend. the hoppy, full-bodied genuine cold filtered draft dances on my tongue and I recall the first taste of beer from what seems like eons ago. We were sitting on the wharf, my family and I. The summer sun was strong, I think. It was a weekend. We had just spent a morning at Boston's Childern's Museum and my parents wished to relax at a near by restaurant. My dad (or mom) ordered a beer. Being 6 or 7 or whatever at the time, I wanted a taste. But I digress. Perhaps I'm cheating a bit, because the recent bout of nostalgia made me remember a certain place I hear a song (rather then visa versa). It was on Foresthills st. that I first hear the song above. the caterwauling vocals of "Boston, you're my home" immediately perked my interest. I recall sitting at this light in my father's car when the this song came on the radio. At the corner of the off ramp of Arbor way, turning on to Washington was just moments from home. The intersection is one that imparts on many of my childhood memories.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Days of music - 5/9/11

day 5 - a song that makes you sad.
I guess I've got ancient history on the brain. Back in Boston I grew up in JP or Jamaica Plains, a borrow of Boston. I remember laying awake at night. Sometimes you could hear pistol shots in the off the corridors of apartments. At the time I didn't know what the sound was - it wasn't until years later in Michigan that I connected the popping sound to the sound of a pistol. The retort is much quieter in the din of a city then in the lane of a shooting gallery.

days of Music - 5/8/11 (also, mum's day)

Day 4 -  a song that makes you sad
Day 5 - a song that reminds you of someone

Today's mother's days! So In honor of that tradition, I thought I'd pick a song that reminded me of my Mother. way back in my youth, I found an album, one of the first I purchased my self, Smash Mouth All Star (single). I remember listening to it on the way home in the car. My Mommy mentioned how she liked my choice of music. Anyway, it was a sunny afternoon when I was playing on Harvard's lawn. Mom was inside, doing something scientific. A bee hidden in the grass beneath my ankles became agitated and planted a fierce-some sting in me. Next I remember sitting in a chair in Mom's lab; she was applying some tincture she'd made to the wound. I remember being impressed and proud and love of this mighty woman. Anyway, for whatever reason, Smash Mouth's Walking on the Sun reminds of those early days, of Boston summer, of Harvard, of Cindy K. Miranti.
I should note, like most of these video posts, I've not seen the music videos...

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Music 5/6/11 and 5/7/11

So I kinda laxed on the sixth and forgot to make a post.
I didn't make a post on the sixth because I was shying away about a song I hate. Frequent readers may recall A post about music or something on the fifth. Anyway, today and yesterday were/are your least favorite song (day 2) and a song that makes you happy (day 3).

5/6/11, I had a hard time thinking of a song I could truly consider a my least favorite. See, I usually forget songs I dislike nor do I generally keep copies of music I don't want to hear. That said, I found two songs I'd rather not hear. At first I was going to say Free Fallin' by Tom Petty. My one night in Lock-Up was brought to me by a police car playing Free Fallin' on the radio. Suffice to say, it was an ill night and the song remains such in my brain. However, the other song I was going to mention was The American Honky-Tonk Bar Association. I have to say, the numerous and prolific fan following and terrible fan vids of this song throw it into the lead for my (currently) most detested song. (not to deride all the fans out there, I applaud your devotion to performance, it's just not for me)

5/7/11 A song that makes you happy? By rights, this should be an easy find, right? Being that it's Free Comic Book Day, I'm pretty excited and thus, every thing seems like it makes me happy.One sticks song comes most quickly to mind, an odd spanish/english song about counting rabbits. I liked it well enough to make a video for just to share, so it makes the list. (gee, does promoting your own video make one conceited?)

Find both songs below

I choose this vid, 'cause the singer has a british accent...
And this one I assembled. :)

Ok, then, I guess that's it.
til next time

Thursday, May 5, 2011

30 days of music - 5/5/11

Because I thought this was a neat idea when a friend started and because I, apparently, have nothing better to do while procrastinating and because than to engage in a narcissistic endeavor and because I've not posted here in too long I'm going to try this challenge out. Originally I posted to Facebook, but after reconsideration I decided that this was a better place to talk about music and why and what not and so on and so forth.
 Basically, I'll follow the schedule outlined below. Each day I'll post a song and talk about my relationship to it. It's gonna be fun on a bun!

day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood
day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

May 5, 2011
    Already I'm late, O' well. Favorite song? I believe favorites change with time and mood. For many, a favorite lasts a life time but mostly I think favor'd song(s) reflect moments in a life path. What song I love today I may not love next week and have completely forgotten next year. Currently, the song that sticks in my head day and night is Float On by Modest Mouse.  Perhaps I'm becoming an optimist again.
    It's sweet and sultry. Mellow-dramatic tones lift from pure guitar rifts and somber vocals to mingle a dulcet song. The tone belies the seemingly positive lyrics. ...I can't tell you exactly why I love this song so, nor can I detail the musical mechanics active in the piece, I can only express my fondness for it. Shouldn't that be enough?
    I don't mind the music video for this song. Yet, images effect our perceptions, the meanings we apply.  I suggest listening to it sans the video first. I tried simply uploading an MP3 but blogger had complications.....
In the worlds of the immortal Garrison Keller, "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch"

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

STUFF - get some

I got lots of requests to make a Help in Romance blog post due to my recent choice to alter my signiture to a heart sign in loo of any other type of mark. But I digress.

For fun I descided to track the Hul commericals that appear in three hours. it should be noted that my Hulu account signs in with my Gmail, by which I subscribe for video updates and is also linked to my Facebook and twitter pages. it should also be notable that in an attempt to earn a little extra money, I've enabled Adsense, a Google tracking program that records site information for targeting ads to visiters to my page as well as my google enabled accounts.

I arranged the ads, not by brand or type but by product type.
hygiene products                  --- 5 (men's hair)
drink ads (alcohol)               --- 2
Insta-food type products      --- 6
pharmaceuticals                   ---  1 (preg. test)
Car ads                               ---  4
bank/credit                          ---  3
Cellphone/portable device    ---  3
PSA/non-profit org.             ---  1
misc.                                    ---  4 (3 dating websites, 1 hulu promo)

So, despite my fear, these ads don't seem targeted specifically to me. However, I did recently have a relationship status change, which was noted on facebook and a blog entry I did not share. But I think these ads are more indicative of values -or perceived values- that are being advertised to. Image. My age/sex demagraphic is seemingly represented here (male, 18-30).
...or at least i'd like to say. Without any further study or deeper analyst, i can't really make any claims with certainty. At the very least, I'd need some sort of base line or larger sample size. I'd also like to compare video ads to the Facebook side-bar ads and establish a better method of identifying ad types.

... I had some more to say though it suddenly escapes me.

<3

P.S. I suspect this is a most uninteresting post for you readers á la frequent, I'll endeavor to make the next twice as entertaining.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

CloverFace

There is a bunny rabbit that lives around the radio station that I work at.
He greets me at sunset and sees me off just before dawn.
He's round and plump but stayed safe from traffic this long.
I've named him Cloverface.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Life

Little is better then t enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate while watching the drifting snow settle.
It snowed this morning - is still snowing now.
When I awoke i could think in only bitter, groggy curses and oaths
After class i was handed a cup by a kindly older woman.
As i sat on the front bumper of my car I stole sips from the aromatic beaverage
and reflected on how some of the best wisdom is learned through experience.

thanks

Thursday, March 3, 2011

untitled


http://fawstin.blogspot.com/2008/05/islam-vs-peace.html
this guy makes me very, very sad.
I'm too depressed to reply openly. But wished the world to know of these dark thoughts

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Wednesday

I lie (or is it lay) awake
again. I work in the morning
five am. The serenity of night

News

I heard a news story today while on my shift at WOI. It involved a kidnapped girl 18 years ago who was discovered when her one of her abductors was found on Berkley campus "acting suspicious" Appearently, she'd been held captive since the age of 11 by a husband and wife.

For those who don't know, WOI is an affiliate station for Iowa Public Radio, a branch of National Public Radio, as you may have guessed. During my shift, we broad cast Morning Edition. They only gave 30 seconds to the story because it's highly personal and has little effect on people outside the region (southern California). Still, I was curious to know more about the circumstances of the case. Well, I did and I won't waste time re-reporting them here. Rather, I'll tell you, dear readers, about some curious anomolies that came up in my research.

First, A google search of "kidnapped 18 years" brought the top hit from ABC news online, here. A pretty standard article, right? Well, I kinda wanted to know more details about the arrest - ABC left me puzzled. I altered my search and found this, and this. If you don't want to read the articles, I'll do my best to summerize. Basicly, not much difference or added information between them. However, did notice that both ABC and FOX omitted the details of the kidnapper, Phillip Garrido's religiosity and seeming mental instability.

Clearly, I needed the original AP (Associated Press) article. Which was surprisingly hard to find. If you're interested it is here. For shits and giggles I looked at the story featured at Huffington Post online. Since I first looked, some, including the Huffington have updated their coverage of the whole incident.

I'm running short on time (I'm late for class) but what really interested me was the different treatment of this story by this news outlets. Notably, in Fox's repost of the story, a line questioning public security of parolees was added, "Garrido was on lifetime parole and his arrest raises questions about how closely parolees are monitored." and the New York Post went on to discuss other long-time kidnapping victims found years later. 


I'll return late with some more of my thoughts.
thanks for reading!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

time and time again/Time Out/what time is it?

It's time to straighten up
time to fly right
time to stop falling with grace
time to start missing the ground
time to fly when having fun
time to take my head from out the clouds
time to put your feets on the ground
time to stop
It's time to look
time, now, to leap
It's time, Miller time
time to hold 'em
time to know when to fold 'em
time to come to your senses
time to come back from those fences
time to save in a bottle
time for parsley, sage, rosemary
thyme, too, at the fair
time to buy!
time: two o'clock
It's time to eat lunch


-Marcus

Friday, February 18, 2011

A study

So I wanna test some theories...

Basically, in a recent class of mine, psych 280, the professor mentioned one of his studies. In brief, that study indicated that persons surveyed who used Facebook frequently had a relatively high dissatisfaction of life. This stuck with me. There is also strong evidence that suggests a person's satisfaction of life is affected by the comparisons they make. Specifically, by comparing your success to more successful person, you'll survey as having higher dissatsifaction then if  you compare your success to persons less successful. Armed with this information, I'm planning on starting an experiment. as follows

Hypothesis: Because Facebook promotes high social monitoring in it's users there is a disproportionate representation of 'positive' status updates on Facebook. This results in frequent users' having a relatively low satisfaction of life.
Thesis: Increasing the frequency of 'negative' or depressive status updates should correlate positively to satisfaction of life in Facebook friends relative to the frequency of Facebook use. Therefore, if all my future status updates of my Facebook profile reflect negative events, the attitudes of Facebook friends should trend upwards in satisfaction of life.

However, I'm lost in coming up with an method to accurately measure the feelings and attitudes pre-experiment and post-experiment of Facebook friends. First thought is by survey, but I lack much of the authority required to get reliable survey results from people (at lest so i think). The alternative is to subjectively record the number and rate the degree of positive/negative posts on Facebook. the obvious problem is that I start with the assumption that people, more often then otherwise, display themselves in a positive light on Facebook. So that Facebook is an inaccurate reflection of actual feelings/attitudes. Maybe I could ask a select group of people to engage reflectively each week and record the number of times and duration they use Facebook and their mood at those times and weigh that against the number and popularity and mood of posts I record daily on Facebook.

...this all seems like something I should ask the Psych department at ISU about.

anyway, stay well, love, Marcus Miranti

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Image and Valetines Day

Post under contrustion.
Sorry

Dear American

Real quick...

watching John Stewart I learn about the media in my country.
working at NPR at WOI I learn about the happenings of my world.
reading News Feeds I learn opinions of people who are a part of both.

It is my thought that the events in Egypt was accomplished by the people of Egypt was no small influance by the people of the United States of American.

Through the display of our society, not through poltics we, as a people, can inspire. Through politics, the people build a representation of their society.

I commend Obama for his actions on the matter.
It was not him, nor The Armed Forces of America,
our spear. Our culture, Egyptian culture
Effected great actions. Affected great new responsibility

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The sun and the moon and clouds and stars

Lastly, the sun languishes.
Lately, the horizon of a grey sky.
smoke hot and sweet
smolders from red bitter light
in my palm. Thrown shadows like shards.
over the raised letters
Of my books once through
Did Escape they’d provide?
No more do words I find enthrall in
Tangle tales and adventures.
All have ended, all have gone

Lastly, the words falling
Lately, closed tome in my lap
Soft, stitched-by-hand
in quilted reds with pine
and hugging burgundy hues
Not sex nor booze nor food
Tastes pleasing on these lips
What was Siddhārtha’s choice?
Too tired to wake, too wakeful to slumber
Upon my side to lay
And consign to fitless dream
My Beautiful Annabel Lee

hear now, as I write:
I seek not pity, nor sympathy nor advice.
Only you, dear reader, your ears
or rather your eyes to listen
through finger tips tapping tick tick tacking
Only to say you, I, a pal - a cohort
like you, I, adrift - a question

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

An intreging discussion

While populating a forum, I came across a curious hypothetical quandary. It is a follows: 
Both are identical in EVERY conceivable way, strength,intelligence, paint job, etc. So how would the fight end and which one would be victorious?
Edit: Ok, even the environmental conditions are the same, even the space between the two robots facing each other are the same, even the two grandmothers in the crowd cheering them on are the same, all conditions are equal for both sides of the conflict. And both robots are fighting because they both think of the other as a copy. And...
image
this image was used by the OP
 
Think about your answer. I encourage you to take a moment to scrawl it down before reading on.

Ok
The most notable opinions made by most fellow commenters was this: in the world of reality, no two systems can be truly identical. More over, some brought on a little chaos theory stating, "that two systems with initial starting conditions will begin to deviate in small ways that will eventually lead to them operating differently." I think the leaning towards logical proofs is a curious reflection of this forum. Most illustrated the pointlessness of such a hypothetical. Because the two robots are the same, it doesn't matter which is the win because which ever automaton is victorious the same as the robot that entered the battle. Still other preferred a direct view: the one the strikes first, or the one on the left, or the one that strikes last.

I approached this problem from the learned consul of my classes. Assume the Robots are, indeed functionally identical from stats to subatomics and given identical environmental conditions (assuming their not fighting in a void) at the start of the battle. The motion and activity of the brawl would still affect the environment. The dirt and dust and discarded robot parts would begin to cluster the field and introduce inequality to the setting by randomized placement of the litter.  Is this train of thought is unhelpful in reaching a conclusion? What of methods introduced to maintain the environment's near-perfect homogeneity?  Well, nothing occurs in stasis. Only the perspectives of the Robots can alter significantly from beginning to end. Eventually, an event outside the arena but within the Robots' range of detection would introduce a non-shared experience (presumably, the robots are not synchronizing data). It would be first noticed by one robot sooner then the other.We'll call this one Observer Robot. Even if the other robot, Oblivious Robot, sees the event too, the delay in observation time results in the two no longer being identical. Observer Robot, in a battle for individuality, would begin to calculations to determine an advantage from this event. It may even favor a strategy favoring knowledge supremacy for this event. Now Observer Robot is redirecting part of it's processing power towards these new calculations, effectively reducing processing capabilities for it's combat routines. Now Oblivious Robot has the advantage of singular goal at the cost of situational awareness. The robots are no longer equal. The outcome is dependent on the nature of the event. Should the event prove advantageous to Observer Robot, will deliver a death stroke to it's counterpart and leave the battle field secure in it's identity. However, driven by a singular goal and higher task specific processing aim towards the fruition of that goal, Oblivious Robot will defeat Observer Robot. In victory it will wonder why it's Once-was-twin changed battle tactics. It will search to attribute its own personal characteristics to the other's behavior. It will find none. Oblivious Robot will begin to see it as distinct from itself and become tormented by the final moments of Observer Robot, the fight and question it's own identity. It will seek enlightenment and answers. In doing so, Oblivious Robot will construct two Identical Robots and force them to fight.

What do you think? Comment below.
Thanks for reading.
-Mr. Wordy

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

kissed by ice

I saw a robbin today. As remarkable as it sounds. and me, without a camera. he, perched upon a snow laden branch white powder falling gently all around.
Red breast proudly hidden, grey-brown feathers to match a mate. Like I, they for all the world's beauty found sublime in seven inches fallen and still more.
White, white and layers of grey. dark lines and sketched foot prints patterns to hide beneath still more. Snow snow and sky. falling, falling, blankets.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

2010, a revisit

how can one quantify life? the number of cheeseburgers eaten? how many friends you have? the ease of living?

I always subscribed to the idea that we are built of our experiences. Our souls are shaped by the experiences of life. As Lisa Simpson once told Bart, "nobody is born with a soul [it must be] earn[ed] through suffering and thought and love."


Looking back over the past year is an enormous endeavor. On the first, I entered 2011 much as I entered the world: sick, naked, confused and uncomfortable. Since then, my home was filled memoriums from the past. Reminiscing over shared experiences has brought our Ghosts - souls- closer together. Sharing the new events in our lives and creating even newer ones.

To stretch the growth analogy further, much as life most likely originated on the rock shores of the primordial sea. This year starts in the tumultuous turmoil of uncertain, war, economic and political strife. Yet, even now society evolves legs, lungs, eyes. Maybe it will develop means to communicate and work together with it's dissenting parts.

By title, you expected some sorta list of greatest and worst moments. At the very least a fictionalization of 2010 to reminisce about in 2011.Well, you thought wrong. Actually, I was going to. But I'm way to lazy for that... so enjoy this picture instead

Also, if you haven't already, you should vote down below (it's on the side bar). I'll update on Sunday based on the responses.
-love and peace, Marcus Miranti

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Twitter

Look here! https://twitter.com/ThingsThatSmile