Quantum procrastination.

I'm blogging because my dishes need doing and those tomatoes are YELLING at me from the dining room. Oh, and there's washing that needs to be hung out. So what else does a blogger need? A distraction, obviously.

Last night I had a distraction. Somehow I got onto quantum physics. (Actually, I remember how. A friend on Facebook joined the Deepak Chopra Australia group, so I followed that through to some transcendental meditiation stuff, and onwards to quantum mechanics. Stream of consciousness, much??)

I didn't do physics at school. I did Biology (well) did chemistry (so-so) and attempted maths. That's where I fall down. Maths is not good for me, or to me. Maths hates me, actually. My brain sees numbers, it freezes up into a some kind of ultra stupid moment and simply won't work from then on.

Words are another matter entirely. I LIKE words. Words are my friends.

So I start googling around, trying to find a suitably wordy explanation for quantum mechanics and physics and anything quantum related, that would help me to understand it without the need for weird formulas with NUMBERS (not to mention other odd things like greek letters) in them.

I found a couple of hints. I think I have what can only be described as a VERY BASIC grasp of the theory behind it all. Lots to do with waves and particles and how things can be BOTH at the same time, as well as different aspects as different times. The word 'probability' popped up a lot.

My understanding of probability goes a little something like this "buy this lottery ticket and tomorrow when you don't win anything you will probably be ashamed that you wasted your money". Obviously, every now and then the probability of shame doesn't preclude me from wasting said money. Happens about once every 6 months round here.

But yes, back to the quantum thing. I can tell what you are all thinking - why would I bother reading up on quantum mechanics in the middle of the night when my brain is exhausted. Hell, why would I bother at all? Not like I'm going to NEED it, right?

Well, yes and know. I do occasionally fancy myself as a bit of a writer. Generally, I stick to the tried and true - crappy romances, or fantasy writing. Fantasy writing is good. Fantasy writing has MAGIC - this means I don't even need a pseudo-reasonable explanation, my characters can do the impossible JUST because of that label. I LIKE magic.

However, sometimes I am called upon to read (and very occasionally inspired to write) sci-fi. Sci-fi still has awesome 'magic' in it - but it's got to have the relevant techno-babble. And IMO, for it to work properly, it needs SOME modicum of truth in it - otherwise it aint really sci-fi, it's fantasy again.

Hence - quantum mechanics.

I still need to do a lot more reading on it before I'd ever be able to write anything about it or even including it. But I'd like to think that last night's efforts have put me in a better place for next time I find an e-zine with a short story that involves black holes.

Maybe.