Viswanathan K's Thoughts

Even if you don’t know (nor care) about quantum mechanics, this blog might still be interesting in understanding how/why change doesn’t happen easily in any prevailing system of any kind – science, philosophy, politics… Try and see the parallels of many of the things described in this blog into other areas.   The maths of quantum mechanics is unparalleled and unquestioned. But what is the underlying reality that the theory describes? This is the “interpretation” question that Adam Becker explores in What is Real?   The ruling interpretation is called the Copenhagen interpretation. Why despite so many unanswered, contradictory, and vague aspects does it still remain Number One? Why didn’t any of the alternative interpretations catch on for so long?   For one, John von Neumann, the great mathematician, had come up with a proof very early that a certain class of alternative interpretations was impossible: “The mere name of ‘von Neuman’ and the mere word ‘proof...

Alice had her rabbit hole. We in the 21 st century have to content ourselves with books as our portholes to a whole new world: Of course, the porthole experience can only be had if one takes the Peter Birkenhead approach to choosing which books to read: “If a book can’t disorient me just a little bit, if it can’t get me some kind of lost, I won’t stay with it for very long.” As an example, he cites books by “(Richard) Feynman, (Stephen) Hawking, (Brian) Greene, and their ilk”: “Their books may be my least favorite to read, but as I do, and the universe they describe grows curiouser and curiouser, I become more intrigued.” As someone who has read all 3 authors, I would say amen to that. Of course, this porthole experience isn’t limited to physics alone. Birkenhead again: “Literature provides passage toward the self, not away from it, promising escape only from the temptations of escapism. It makes visible a world that exists in the spaces between things: book a...

I’ve always wanted to introduce quantum mechanics into a blog without boring most people to death. Finally, I have found an opportunity: well OK, it’s a somewhat contrived opportunity, but what the hell… There’s this testing team guy at work who was asked to work with me and write specifications for the system. I wasn’t sure whether he was unhappy or happy shifting from his original role (testing) to a new role (defining the system). Things were further complicated by the fact that he continued to report to his lead from his old role, and not me. So even though I wondered whether he liked or disliked the new work, I never asked him because of, well, 2 reasons. The first one was that he reported to the lead from his old role, so technically, keeping track of his happiness was her responsibility. The second reason, a consequence of the first one, was that since he didn’t report to me, what could I possibly do even if he said he didn’t like the new role? So this guy is like Schrod...