Daily Archives: November 1, 2021

Alan Garners novels are usually separated into his wildly successful books aimed at children The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, Elidor, The Owl Service and The Moon of Gomrath and his adult writing The Stone Book Quartet, Thursbitch and Strandloper, which are more difficult and quixotic, at least thematically (Garner is always an author of supremely clear and readable prose). I was speaking at an event with Ruth Ozeki and Karen Joy Fowler recently and, having mentioned Garner in my talk, was surprised that neither of them had read or even heard of him. They asked me where to begin and I suggested the wonderful, time-collapsing Red Shift, largely because I feel like it contains the best of each of Garners worlds: the magic of his childrens fiction and the emotional and philosophical complexity of his adult work.

Garners latest novel, Treacle Walker, also belongs in this hybrid space. It, too, is concerned with time. Indeed, it seems as though the subject of time is the theme that underpins much of his later work how we experience it, how we might refigure or alter our relation to it. Time is ignorance, reads the books epigraph, from Carlo Rovelli, and the novel is essentially a response to this idea, seeking to ask how we would experience the world if we were able to step out of the straitjacket of time. Garner lives in a medieval medicine house on a site that has been inhabited for 10,000 years and is a stones throw from the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire. It should perhaps not surprise us that, again, he takes time as his subject.

Joe, our hero, is a child living a strange and circumscribed existence. He has been poorly, he says, and wears a patch to correct a lazy eye. His parents are not in evidence, and he measures out the days by watching the passing of Noony, the train, through the valley below. One day a rag-and-bone man appears, named Treacle Walker, and offers Joe a cup and a stone in exchange for an old pair of pyjamas and a lambs shoulder bone. The cup has Joes name written upon it, the stone is inscribed with the picture of a horse. This is classic Garner territory: obscure but resonant objects, a present that feels wedded to a mythical past, a questioning child seeking to unravel the mysteries of an off-kilter world, a landscape freighted with meaning.

Joe wanders out into the marshy wood behind his house where he meets Thin Amren, a naked man with copper-brown skin and a hood made of leather. This bog-man informs Joe that his lazy eye is the result of the glamourie a gift that enables him to see time collapsed, to perceive the eternal in the now. Joes adventures see him drawn into the mirror-world of a comic book, fighting alongside Kit the Ancient Brit against Whizzy Wizard and the Brit Bashers. Hes aided in these battles by the visits of the genial Treacle Walker, with his green violet eyes and face at once old and young, like them knacky postcards that change when you look.

The riotous energy of seemingly throwaway comics is shown to be in communion with the power of myth and both express truths found in the most cutting-edge science. This is a book about quantum physics as well as ancient lore. Garner has always suggested that there is essentially just one story, and this novel, published in his 87th year, contains all the exuberance and eccentricity, all the deep thought and resounding mythology of his best work. At the end of his life, Philip Roth wrote the extraordinary Nemesis, a book that felt like a conversation between the author and his younger self, an attempt to express in a single novel the concerns of a lifetime. Treacle Walker does something similar, cramming into its 150-odd pages more ideas and imagination than most authors manage in their whole careers.

See the article here:

Treacle Walker by Alan Garner review the book of a lifetime - The Guardian

It is a fact that mind and matter, energy and human consciousness are intimately intertwined. Add to it the simple idea of vacuum, or empty space, as the real energy field, out of which all perceivable matter is formed, apart from various levels of manifestation, and you enter into the 'get-up-and-go' fields in which all human thought and instinct exist. The idea holds a remarkable premise for the unifying concept of the formative human mind as the universe's hidden creation mechanism a sublime strategy that links energy, mind and consciousness.

It goes without saying that Albert Einstein's landmark theory of relativity forms the two major branches of physics. However, the portrait of physical reality that they offer appears ironic, despite the fact that both modern physics and cosmology perceive physical reality and the universe in a frame as relevant and contextual as any that science espouses.

Picture this: the wave-particle duality, a paradox that is central to either fold. Besides, one could relate to experiments on neutrons aimed at a target via a 'pair of slits' in a screen. They show definitive interference patterns, even when individual neutrons are bombarded sparingly.

Some physicists have produced counter-interpretations, too the spacetime description of micro-events, including the possibility of a deeper understanding of physical reality.

In other words, the motion of a particle is affected, not only by the usual classical potential, but also by quantum potential having dramatic effects for extremely small particles.

Advances in cosmology now explain gravitation, for instance, in the context of time-space continuum.

They also provide for the possibility of a universe rapidly expanding from the initial big bang billions of years ago, to be followed by the big crunch. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, stars apparently disintegrate back into their own gravitational fields a black hole, or small area, of extremely high density, while incorporating a singularity with zero volume, where gravitation is so intense that no light can escape from a black hole. Today, there's definitive, or quantified, evidence for the existence of black holes.

Not long ago, it was fanciful to surmise what had precisely happened before the big bang. Today,

we are linking ideas from relativity and quantum theory.

This has led to a new possibility, too postulating theories like inflationary cosmology, which provide fairly plausible pictures of possible events that may have happened before the big bang. Yet, a huge challenge remains of finding the true unification of general relativity and quantum theory.

The celebrated thinker and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe put it aptly, "Everything factual is already theory". It is ditto for our scientific advances, including the emergence of the hologram, a laser-produced picture, in its all new avatar. All the same, we have got to keep our fingers crossed and look excitedly at 'science-in-waiting'.

This is simply because we are quickly moving into a different epoch the 'age of new technology', whose origins already exist. This is yet again not scientific dazzle, but a realistic metaphor that bids fair to a primal, also resourceful, embodiment of possibility.

It would be interesting to highlight that the hologram of the future may not be just about patterns though one which we perceive as the configuration of wholes, or elements, that compose them. "It will be recognised," as complexity specialists Howard Sherman and Ron Schultz explain, "that within every level of synthesis the patterns are the same."

In other words, the hologram will not be as composite with all its shades of commonplace essentialities.

Because, we are all aware of one inescapable fact. Anything that is new, in our rapidly changing world, is often thought to be immeasurable a 'fantasy' without well-defined constructs. Yet, the fact is you were, for instance, not a computer geek when you started using the gadget on your own. Now, you can't do without it.

There's more to our whole, new world of thoughtful advance than what meets the eye. Because, we are on the verge of breaking major scientific stories howsoever clouded they may seem. We have zeroed-in onto a timeframe where information can be stored within and distributed by light. We call it the photon age, the charge of the information-bearing 'light brigade', to be precise.

As Sherman and Schultz, again, observe, there's yet another dimension to it one that can be simulated by waves of gravity, thanks to Einstein, who bequeathed to us explicitly decipherable components vis--vis the dispersal of electromagnetic waves.

The only deviation is that they have not as yet been 'strapped and buckled', because such waves have ironically not been used.

They have only been considered in 'relative' terms by quantum physicists who, however, can't do without them in their own calculations.

This, as you'd deduce, calls for nothing short of a 'quantum' leap in seizing our future. Of a future which is in conformity with the nature of an emergent universe and the laws of the cosmos. The inference is simple: Einstein's mighty theory reduces uncertainty and ambiguity. More importantly, its whole genesis makes new observations possible.

Now, you know its import how the philosophy of ideas and the technological essence of science have constituted what we take pride in calling our epoch the Information Age.Its net result has been more than remarkable, also incredible a reduction in uncertainty.

Yet, a logical fact of life hangs in balance, despite our glorious appointment with history. There are simply no shortcuts, or huge leaps, in the mind-boggling world of science, howsoever great our technological advance. Call it science's own limiting dynamics, or what you may.

Nidamboor is a wellness physician, independent researcher and author

See the rest here:

Conscious reality: Seizing the future - The Himalayan Times

Emma McCandless October 31st, 2021 - 2:47 PM

The best part about October is all of the new spooky games that are released. If the aesthetic of these games had to be summed up in just three words it would have to be dark, elegant, and ominous. Every game this month associated with Halloween had a really great art style that is breath of fresh air from the cheerful puzzle games of summer. Of course, not every game is apart of the spooky scary trend. There are still some light hearted colorful games as well as some very tactical and analytical ones. There is something for everyone on this list, so be sure to read until the end to find the perfect game to fulfil your mobile gaming fix.

#10. Me Is King

This game is a great way to pass time quickly as it keeps the player very engaged during gameplay that is simple yet incredibly addicting. It is a fast paced civilization builder where players must decide how to use resources in order to build up their civilization. There is almost no strategy involved and is not competitive. The cute characters and quick progression make it great for playing on the go where you may only have a minute or two to check in.

Me Is King is available on iOS and Android devices for free.

#9. Soccer Manager 2022

Soccer Manager is a simulation game where players become the manager of a prominent soccer team and manage the tactics, finances, and training of real life players. A finite attention to detail makes this game the closest replica to the actual experience of a soccer manager. The players height, weight, and play style is all programmed to make the game strategy as plausible as possible. If you have a love for soccer, you will want to give this game a try.

Soccer Manager 2022is available on iOS and Android systems for free.

#8. Kitty Q

This is a great game to get younger kids interested in science. Kitty Q is a puzzle game that also teaches the concepts of quantum physics! How does it do all this? By teaching Erwin Schrdigers theory of Schrdigners cat. By solving a series of puzzles the player is challenged to take care of the spooky half dead, half alive kitty that shows up at your doorstep. Its a great game for the coming of Halloween and has a really unique game concept that is worth looking into.

Kitty Qis available on iOS and Android systems for free.

#7. Hundred Days

This is a wine making simulation game where players are challenged to run a business and create their own brand of wine. The game tracks every step of the process from the vine to the bottle. This game is best known for teaching its players a vast amount of information about the technique of winemaking. It is not competitive but instead analytical. You must be conscious of the choices you make so that your winery is making the most amount of profit possible. With a little patience and an excitement for wine production, Hundred Days can be very rewarding. It is calming yet challenging.

Hundred Daysis available on iOS and Android devices for $5.99 USD.

#6. Botworld Adventure

In this RPG adventure game, players will get to choose between a cat, dog, lizard, or buffalo for their avatar. From here, your unique character will travel around the diverse world collecting parts for their bots. Bots are used for attack and defense purposes in bot battles. More powerful bots will last much longer in battle. In addition, there is a narrative arc for the player to enjoy yet still a good balance between storyline and gameplay. The battles are simple yet maintain a small level of strategy that keeps the player engaged. This fantasy world is very well developed, so it is great for those that love explorer games.

Botworld Adventureis available on iOS and Android systems for free.

#5. Influent

This is a language learning game that puts a narrative twist onto your ordinary definitions and vocab lists. Help a scientist gain back the rights to his stolen language learning device by using it to learn the names of objects around you in a new language. The player is placed into an apartment along with a variety of objects. The player is challenged to fly in the inventors specially designed toy ship to learn the name of objects and place them on a vocabulary list. Once the list is assembled, you get to play games with them, such as finding each object and shooting it with lasers. This game puts a really fun twist onto language. It is best used in conjunction with other language learning techniques as it only teaches vocab. No grammar or sentence structure options are available.

Influentis available on iOS systems only for free.

#4. Slender: The Arrival

Perfect to get your Halloween scare on! Slender: The Arrival has players trudging through the forest at night in order to solve the mystery of a missing woman. It is a problem solving game as well as a jump scare horror. The graphics are amazing for a mobile game, and the gameplay is challenging. What makes it so scary is the first person point of view that totally immerses the player while simultaneously making it much more disorienting as the view is drastically limited. If you want to feel scared, this game will definitely get the job done.

Slender: The Arrival is available on iOS and Android systems for free.

#3. Get Together: A Coop Adventure

The best quality of Get Together: A Coop Adventure is that it strengthens the bond of the two participating players. This is a duo adventure game where two players must team up together to form two halves of a puzzle. Each person is given their own set of clues to the puzzle at hand. The solution only becomes apparent when all the clues are gathered so that strong communication and teamwork is necessary to play. The game takes place in a unique fantasy world with new things to explore. This is a great way to pass time with someone that you are close to and has a really unique art style to keep its players engaged.

Get Together: A Coop Adventureis available on iOS and Android systems for $3.99 USD.

#2. Townscaper

Townscaper is an incredibly relaxing creativity booster that has been described by its developers as more of a toy than a game. Transform an empty ocean into bustling island cities. Players pick the color of the building they would like to create and place it down anywhere on the asymmetrical grid. The complicated algorithm transforms your buildings into quirky streets, alleys, homes, and apartments that can take the form of anything your mind can imagine.

Townscaperis available on iOS and Android systems for $4.99 USD.

#1. Horror Brawl: Battle Royal

As the name implies, this is a battle royal game for ten players. Everyone chooses a character out of the four high schoolers available to play as. Each character has its own pros and cons. Then, the players are placed at random throughout the map where they must find sufficient weapons to attack and defend against other players. Either hunt or be hunted, but the end goal is to find the Nazrat portal and escape to safety. There are so many more features to this game that make it a true hidden gem. Turn yourself into a scary monster by finding specific items or complete quests outside of battles to upgrade your competitiveness. This game is light hearted and enjoyable, yet can also be spooky and challenging. There have been some reports of glitching and lagging from players, so it is recommended to play this game in a place with a strong internet connection.

Horror Brawl: Battle Royalis available on iOS and Android systems for free.

More:

The Top 10 Mobile Games List of October 2021 - mxdwn.com