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The Shower Meme Is Back!
Friday, February 6th, 2009 07:48 pm![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
slyviolet asked me the following five questions (that I almost forgot about).
- I post the answers in my journal.
- If you want an interview from me, leave a comment.
- I'll respond with five questions.
- You'll post the answers in your journal with an invitation for more interviews.
- 1. I've just handed you a spacetime machine. You can go and observe, but not interfere with, one event and then return. Where do you go, why, and how much of what you saw do you share with the rest of the world?
- Am I observing with my body, or would I be able to observe without any Heisenberg/Shrödinger ramifications? I think it would be totally awesome (literally) to observe the formation and operation of a black hole, in part because "black hole" is (so far) an undefined argument to the "observe" operator.
I'd also like to observe the moment in the primordial soup when the first thing we could call "alive" came about. (I'd need to not be in my body for that one too; there was nowhere near the right chemical balance in the atmosphere and oceans for a human to survive.) This would be really interesting information and it could lead to all kinds of cool experiments. "In this room, we're accelerating evolution in Europa conditions so we can send a delivery there and have vegetables ready to eat when our spaceships arrive." Also, it might get Creationists to STFU and use The Bible for mythic storytelling and personal inspiration, not factual interpretation. Just maybe.
- 2. What is your favorite flower, and why?
- Do I get extra points if I say a violet? ...
I'm not particularly into flowers. I'm one of two LJ users with an interest in genus allium (onions, garlic, shallots, chives, leeks), but the flowers aren't why I like those plants. I like dry leaves, tall grasses, dead tree silhouettes, fruits and berries, and succulents (which lack flowers most of the time). I guess I never get into flowers because they're pretty but temporary, like checking out a pretty girl on the other side of a restaurant. My parents' house has a row of sunflowers which entertainingly imposes on one's ability to reach the front door and we (used to?) have a patch of poppies. Our crabapple tree and lilac bushes are filled with beautiful flowers for about a week each year. I used to pick dandelions and count the petals on daisies in the yard, but I never developed a "favorite" flower.
- 3. If you could instantly acquire one skill that would seem "frivolous," what would it be?
- Aside from all the frivolous skills I already know like D&D, fantasy card games, and speaking in lolcat? I could learn to write in Tengwar perhaps. I'd say programming in Lisp or Haskell, but it only seems frivolous to people unlikely to learn it. I was almost passable at riding a unicycle five years ago and then got a flat tire and haven't practiced since. Juggling, perhaps.
- 4. The supervillain has captured you as you were breaking into the secret lair. She stands between you and the door. What do you do?
- "Oh, hello. I think I left my sunglasses here last week. Mind if I come in and find them?"
- 5. Which do you want, telepathy or telekinesis?
- Telekinesis would help me be lazy. I could put on a CD without leaving my chair. I could move my mouse without my fingers leaving the keyboard. Or knock down frisbee tosses without being next to the receiver. I could do helpful things too like pick fruit no one can reach and unlock doors for urban exploring.
Telepathy doesn't seem as cool. Language is so much fun I'd rather speak or type than project thoughts. Unless I had really long-distance telepathy and could talk to folks in California while I'm on a hike in Colorado instead of having to be at home and hoping they sign into an instant message network.
