Politician’s Lament

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I got something the other day. After a glass of x knows what and four men had to haul the logs out of the corner, we all might say we got something— But really, it was I, I got it. It started when the king fell over. "No way to play chess" I said, referring mostly to myself. But I hadn't pushed him and indeed not a single other game had finished, so they said. I saw a few pretty close to tha ... continue reading

What is a Thinking Organism?

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Thinking organisms are, as the name implies, organisms that one creates purely as thinking. The term does not refer to organisms that think, rather “thinking” is used as a gerund. Thinking organisms remain “within” one’s mind where they grow and evolve as an organism might, were it physical. I came up with the notion for these in 1995, writing my first (perhaps naïve) experiment in th ... continue reading

Relatives of Thinking Organisms

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The following might be considered relatives to thinking organisms. These should not however, be confused for thinking organisms. These may engage a person in similar sorts of thinking or even result in similar insight or awareness, however each of these function in their own distinct ways. Thought Experiments The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy defines a thought experiment as: a technique for testing a hypothesi ... continue reading

Five Propositions about Death

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1. Caught in a substance imperceptible to humans, like a spider-spun web (as their web substance certainly must be to insects). We go about our lives. One day Bill walks into the substance (the web) scarcely perceiving it. Months pass and he notices his struggle with increased workplace stress. It’s uncanny his desire for fried fat-laden food, ever greasier. Some people remark on his disinterest in physical f ... continue reading

Interpersonal Telescopic

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Starting off in the distance, where the gelatinous ocean rose in spots and dipped in others, waves rolled. Each following another as it finally dispersed itself into the fine sandy shore. One wave followed another but each grew again in the same place. It was impossible to follow one and not feel it also somehow slipped back to where it started–rolling like stripes on an old barbershop pole. She sat on her to ... continue reading

Inexpertise

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I am not an expert at the following ten items. I am unlikely to become an expert at these because I bear no desire for expertise at these, much less much else. Slavery without adhesive Collecting litres of mud Pirate ideas Prognosticating the colours of life or the wailing songs thereof Forgetting all the unwanted premonitions Ice impermeable to slippery children Commissioned murders Round quarters Neutral drugs t ... continue reading

Type Write

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Ever thought about a typewriter? The kind of thinking where you separate it all out, making it type writer. Then go on with type, just on its own. Type, type is what you see right here, in front of you. It’s a type of type too. Times, probably. Times type. What type of thinking is that? The type you think all the time. The type that differentiates. Two verbs go with it. There’s the type that you read bu ... continue reading

Two Fellows Disagreeing over Reconciliation

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Two fellows argued near a phone. One of them, greying hair, a turpentine diluted blue cardigan, gestured with both hands. The other rolled his eyes up and tilted his head sideways. He made fleeting eye contact and though not the elder, he was the taller. They spoke urgently, probably not clearly but I was too far away to hear. Their urgencies pushed through different happenstances. The taller one that often looked ... continue reading

Fourteen Things to Do with a Drunken Slipper

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1) Knock (together) on the side of a fishtank–they won’t mind, even at 2 AM 2) Puddles, immersive treatments to all the world’s puddles 3) Treat it to a bedtime story 4) Show the crook of your shoulder to a good friend and the slipper; then they’ll have something in common 5) Lie down outside someone else’s disco and watch the stars 6) Buy it a habanero pepper, on you 7) X-Ray its inna ... continue reading

Some History from the Back Pocket

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I keep a small, spiral-bound notepad in my left back pocket. No, I’ve kept many. I’ve done this for years. Looking back, I’m not always sure what I’ve written or why, but I save them. A collection of a few of the pages: 23 July 1998 – First words with the Fisher Space Pen. Do we need a new scientific method? This Saturday, Mary’s Birthday. 25 July 1998 – Find out the pronu ... continue reading

All Possible Objects

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On the table top, and in the barely dark, dry and not imposing any urgency. I looked at marbles today. Swirling lake reflections of spirals, cat eyes, and occasional small bubbles. A white background of no consequence, pushing through the imperfect glass. One marble chipped here or there. You touch such things by rubbing a thumb against the angular flat outsider of a surface. Leibniz, all making possibilities, as t ... continue reading