Losing and finding.

[Farmer John]

Why is it that just when I finally find my GPS, I now can't find my parallel rule? It always seems the same, found Girl Guide whistle (doesn't work, blown for ages, nothing) and now can't find wife's Grandfather's Bosuns' pipe.

Is there a quantum connection?

[erimus]

Old age amigo.

geoff

[Farmer John]

Too simple! This has gone on for many years, and it is the linking of things that intrigues me. Grandfather's prismatic compass does not seem to be capable of existing at the same time as his telescope. Perhaps there is only so much "brassness" available in my house, one winks into existence, POP, there goes the other.

[erimus]

Hmmmmm....the world of coincidence.....used to work with me in disasters.
Places I visited in London where within hours something like a train crash happened...Hither Green train disaster,Kings Cross fire etc, Ronan Point flats collapse...

Later followed my home where several companies I 'door-knocked' in the North East closed down within a few weeks! One outfit in Peterlee refused to see me as I had visited their Tyneside operation a few weeks before...and they had since shut down!
geoff

[Farmer John]

I know what you mean about disasters, it seemed at one time I was followed around by fires, barns burnt down, tractors and a combine immolated. It really wasn't me. Companies closing down happens so much now how would you know? If anyone followed my employment career back, there is no-one and nothing left, quite a few houses have gone or been joined into the next door one.

[Tom Alexander]

Originally Posted by Farmer John

and now can't find wife's Grandfather's Bosuns' pipe.

Trying not to pick the fly poop out of the pepper, surely you mean the wife's Grandfather's Bo'sun's call ??

[Tom Alexander]

You lot remind me of Joe Btfsplk in the L'l Abner comic strips -- nothing ever went right and he always had this little black cloud over his head.

[Farmer John]

Originally Posted by Tom Alexander

You lot remind me of Joe Btfsplk in the L'l Abner comic strips -- nothing ever went right and he always had this little black cloud over his head.

No Tom, I am a very happy bunny, just puzzled by the vagaries of a life I enjoy.

You are of course right about the wife's momento.

(Damn, I spent three days on those tricky little scratchy marks, and I get called on something else)

[Tom Alexander]

Originally Posted by Farmer John

No Tom, I am a very happy bunny, just puzzled by the vagaries of a life I enjoy. So happy you are happy -- much better than miserable.

You are of course right about the wife's momento. To continue picking der mice schidt outta der rice -- I believe you mean "memento" ??

(Damn, I spent three days on those tricky little scratchy marks, and I get called on something else) Please keep up the good work, Farmer John -- Don't quit posting on my account -- I will, however, try to refrain from any further comment unless you really screw up.

I think we should meet in the chartroom for a couple of bottles of Four Bells and ruminate over our good fortune to be able to participate in friendly banter.

[Naytikos]

I have a book on Chaos Theory, "Does God Play Dice", can't remember the author and can't find the book at the moment, which, I believe, substantiates Farmer John's predicament.
I am glad I read the book because it supports what I have adopted as a guiding principal most of my life so far, which is: what happens, happens; what doesn't, wasn't supposed to anyway; i.e. Chaos governs everything, life, intelligence, matter, space, etc.etc.
So if one cannot, at this moment in time, lay one's hand upon the sextant, but can find the chronometer; but tomorrow the situation is reversed; don't worry, it's meant to be that way.
Just go with the flow.

[Tom Alexander]

Originally Posted by Naytikos

So if one cannot, at this moment in time, lay one's hand upon the sextant, but can find the chronometer; but tomorrow the situation is reversed; don't worry, it's meant to be that way.
Just go with the flow.

Murphy's Law, Section 3, sub-section 8(B)

[Dartskipper]

Chaos is more interesting than order.

I'm still sorting through my parents accumulated stuff. If I stop for a few days, and then go back to it again, I sometimes can't find the last thing I was looking at, so begin sorting through different stuff. This is always more interesting than the previous stuff, with more long forgotten episodes brought back to life.

[erimus]

Does God play Dice (with the Universe) was firstly an Einstein statement or question, Ian Stewart wrote a good book on it,in later years Stephen Hawking has also written on it...

geoff

[Farmer John]

Originally Posted by Dartskipper

Chaos is more interesting than order.

I'm still sorting through my parents accumulated stuff. If I stop for a few days, and then go back to it again, I sometimes can't find the last thing I was looking at, so begin sorting through different stuff. This is always more interesting than the previous stuff, with more long forgotten episodes brought back to life.

Oh, I have been there, sorting out one house full of stuff, then finally two more, thousands of photos, boxes with hundreds of letters, the residue of two lively minds with such close memories, a shifting perspective on grand parents and yet not a clear thread to carry you on a journey. Still at it twenty years on, an opened envelope brings a picture of Mum at the age of eighteen looking like your child. No wonder my catalogues are muddled.

[BobClay]

Uncle Albert did indeed originate the phrase 'God does not play dice' when he was referring to some of the principles Quantum Physics, which he refused to accept until his dying day.

When the Nobel committee decided to award him the Prize for Physics, they did it not for either of his Theories of Relativity but for his paper on the Photo Electric effect, which is considered one of the foundations of Quantum Physics !!

Who says the Swedes don't have a sense of humour ?

I have a chaos monster lurking in my attic, but so far have managed to keep it at bay .. (sort of.)

[Farmer John]

Just ordered a power supply for my old Digital Video camera. I am now waiting for the long hunted-for lost one to wink into existence.

[Malcolm G]

Originally Posted by Farmer John

Just ordered a power supply for my old Digital Video camera. I am now waiting for the long hunted-for lost one to wink into existence.

A spare is always handy - I've got plenty of them if I could find them.

[BobClay]

A backup is a prime requirement.
Trouble is with many power supplies they exist as long lost echoes of something that you had many years ago and have long discarded. (I mean, you don't throw away something that works fine ... right ?)

So now these black beetles with their long tails lurk everywhere providing dc voltages from 3 through 30 volts. They've already filled drawers and shelves with their sinister presence, "and slowly and surely draw their plans against us."

[Farmer John]

I hear them rustle in the desk late at night.

[Varley]

Originally Posted by Tom Alexander

Trying not to pick the fly poop out of the pepper, surely you mean the wife's Grandfather's Bo'sun's call ??

Of course. Why would Grandfather have wanted to smoke a boatswain?

[Farmer John]

Oh Varley, what know you of old boatswains from the Isles of Sheppey?

[Naytikos]

posted by Farmer John:

wife's Grandfather's Bosuns' pipe.

The three variables in this phrase immediately struck me as having interesting possibilities:

1. Was it the maternal or paternal grandfather?
2. Was it a pipe belonging to a boatswain who was under some allegiance to the grandfather?
3. Was it a boatswains-pipe as a musical instrument?

So, let the wife be A, the maternal grandfather B, the paternal grandfather C, the boatswain D, the pipe E and the pipe as a musical instrument F:

By Boolean algebra we have

A+B+D+E = 1
A+B+F = 1
A+C+D+E = 1
A+C+F = 1

Consolidating the four expressions we get:

A + B.C + F.D + E = 1

All of which proves that it makes absolutely no difference which grandfather it was and whether or not the boatswain smoked or blew his pipe.

The only question which arises is: was it ever found?

[Farmer John]

Erudite and amusing, the best kind of insult. :>}

[Farmer John]

Digital Video camera working beautifully, computer has lost Firewire port.

[Naytikos]

No comment is necessary, but:

QED