One morning, young Neo Phyte woke up early. Feeling particularly frisky - and by his own admission in constant need of ready cash - he decided to try his luck at one of the gaming parlours that were recently opening up fast and furious in his town.
As he strolled down the street where most of them were located, he noticed for the first time that they all bore the same name: Quantum Casino. He puzzled about this momentarily but then quickly walked into one of the establishments, at random. He did need a new iPod rather desperately. But he little knew that his seemingly random choice was a harbinger of things to come.
Neo walked right past the loud cacophony of the one-armed bandits by the entrance. He was looking for what all the "How To" books claimed to be the best bang for his buck: craps. Players with proper understanding of the game and a quick head for odds stood a better chance there than, say, at the roulette wheel. Theoretically, anyway.
It didn't take him long to find some craps tables bunched together, though only a couple of them had lots of excited people around them with the rest standing almost empty. Neo thought he knew about this too: only a few tables were "hot" at any given time, and thus attractive for experienced gamblers, while the rest were "cold" and should be given a wide berth.
Elbowing through the crowd at the edge of the first hot table, Neo chanced a look at the croupier. She was a tall and attractive blonde, her tag curiously identifying her as GOD. But he had little time to think about it because right then, at the other end of the table, a man shook furiously, yelled "baby needs new shoes" and threw the dice in his general direction.
The red translucent dice rolled and gamboled on the green felt, turning this way and that in a constant whirl of forward motion. They raced to the wall of the table, bounced off and started to slow down, getting ready to settle on the faces which would determine the throw. Neo locked on them with his eyes, unconsciously trying to establish their final outcome but, naturally, found the motion too fast for the capacity of his optic nerves.
But even when the dice stopped completely, Neo could not immediately read them properly - they were still quite blurry. The effect lasted only a split second; the beautiful croupier announced "Lucky Seven" in her sonorous voice and the pair instantly resolved into a sharply defined three and four. The same thing happened again and again - Neo's focus remained just a tiny bit soft until she called the shots, whereupon the dice immediately snapped to high definition and the appropriate number combination.
Come SevenThe crowd roared with appreciation as a long string of sevens came in and brought large gains for the players. The table went from hot to scalding, and "baby" went from needing shoes to thirsting for sable coats and multi-carat rings. But just as the really big stakes were dreamily plopped down in anticipation of luxury yachts and Mediterranean vacation villas, the dice started resolving into ugly snake eyes and boxcars.
The table went cold quicker than a stand-up comedy club after the third bad joke in a row. Neo had not bet a dime - he was too bothered by his alternating blurry-sharp vision and the effect of the croupier's voice on the outcome of the dice. As the players quickly deserted the table with their wallets considerably thinner for their efforts, Neo saw the blonde croupier also leaving her post.
She headed for one of the service doors leading to the casino's backstage. Neo followed her and also went through, just one step behind. He tapped her lightly on the shoulder and she turned, smiling brightly. Before he could say a word, she spoke softly: "Follow me, please" she said and continued walking.
They moved silently down linoleum corridors illuminated in stark greenish fluorescent light, finally coming to a stop before a plain white door. The cheap plastic imitation brass plaque simply announced "Manager" and the croupier opened it without knocking first. "Fred, here's the Joe you saw on the closed circuit. I'm going on my coffee break now." She turned and started to leave but she stopped short, facing Neo. "Sorry about the Joe bit - what's your real name?"
"Ahh, it's Neo - but I couldn't help noticing that your own name is highly peculiar. I mean, what kind of weird name is GOD?" he asked.
"Well, Neo, it's nice to make your acquaintance. Speak to Fred here and he'll explain everything. I have only ten minutes for my break so I have to run now, but we'll be in touch, I'm sure". She gave him another of her dazzling smiles and walked off.
Neo looked inside at the sparsely furnished office. There was a man in a crumpled suit sitting behind an empty desk, his face lit by the ghostly light of monitors covering one entire wall. As Neo walked in, he rose to his feet and motioned him to a chair. "Please sit down, Neo is it? My name is Fred and I am the Manager of this Casino. Can I get you some coffee - or tea perhaps? It's still early and our chef does a great cheese danish, too, if you haven't had breakfast. I had a couple myself already, but I'll join you."
"No thanks, I'm not really hungry - but I'll have a double cappuccino if it's all right with you" said Neo as he sat down. After Fred had called for the coffee, Neo continued. "Say, what's this all about? You guys have a thing with names? Firstly, why are all the Casinos in this town named Quantum? And what's with GOD on her tag, anyway?" asked Neo, pointing with his thumb at the door.
"You noticed 'Quantum', eh?" chuckled Fred good-naturedly. "Very few actually do - almost everybody just sees 'Casino' and that says alot about people, doesn't it?" He waited for an answer, but Neo just bided his time quietly.
"Oh well, I guess I should also explain GOD" said Fred and opened his desk. He drew out a laminated card identical to the one worn by the croupier and put it on his desk. "How much do you know about quantum physics Neo? Schrodinger's cat, the bit about Einstein, God and dice - does it ring a bell? Look here" he said and offered the card, without waiting for the answer.
Neo reached over and picked it up, ignoring the question. Under "Quantum Casinos" and "Welcome My Name Is" in calligraphic script was printed "GOD" in large, spaced black bold letters. The card also bore a photograph, a bar code and some other numbers, all having to do with another employee, he assumed. "So what? Are all your employees named GOD? I don't get it".
"Look more closely young man", smiled Fred.
It was then that Neo saw the small lettering next to each capital.
God is Only a Dealer
"Yes, Neo. Albert Einstein was completely wrong. Not only does God play dice, he's also calling the shots".
End of Part I
Thanks Hell you're doing God's work (or perhaps G.O.D.'s work). Looking forward to the next installment. So since God plays dice after all, does that mean we finally get to find out if the cat is alive or dead?
ReplyDeleteHmm...
ReplyDeleteI like stories, Hell.
They're so much more... poetic, than, say, economic analysis.
But...GOD a dealer ?
Aren't you giving him TOO MUCH CREDIT ?
So who's the guy with the fixed dice that always rolls sevens? That would be the GOLD man.
ReplyDeleteSo would you rather be playing at GOLD man's table or the perilous God's?
Marcus:
ReplyDeleteIn the end, even the "GOLD man" rolled snake-eyes.
Okielawyer:
ReplyDeleteMaybe the investors took a bit of a hit (GS down 50% from its high) but nothing compared to Meryl, BAC, AIG...) not the execs though.
With the Treasury Secretaries, past and present (including his assistant), having connections to the firm I'd say the dice are rigged or these are exceptionally ethical "public servants", working outside of typical human nature.
Gold is Gold without the L. It's his (or) her favorite form of money.
ReplyDeleteUgh, God is gold without the L.
ReplyDeleteGod is
ReplyDeleteOnly a
Lowly
Dealer.
G.O.L.D.
Hmm, "dealer" means different things in different contexts...just ask a Narc.
HELP HELP HELP
ReplyDeletethere's a REAL dealer on this thread.
Has that "Hotel California" feel.
ReplyDeleteI must say on this occasion discussions seem like random 'dadaistic' crap compared to that fine little story.
ReplyDeleteHomo Sarcasticus, that's why philosophy is always light years beneath poetry (and fiction to a lesser degree) in the scope of its vision...
ReplyDeleteThis story has such a "derivative" feel to it. The huge gains generated, via quantum numbers, now the huge losses that threaten the whole system.
ReplyDeleteI was trying to wrap my head around quadrillion. Sorry, can't do it. Instead, let's symbolize it, as Debra does.
I dub it, "quadgodzilla". These 4 fire-breathing entities are now consuming the paper paradigm. One each for the US, UK, Europe and Japan.
Japan is there because they hosted the original godzilla and they are also the whipping post via the yen carry trade. This is all going to end so badly.
Joe M.
Thai, do these qualify as wing-nut paranoia:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.counterpunch.org/mcgovern03122009.html
http://www.counterpunch.org/ketcham03122009.html
No behind-the-curtain manipulation going on here, no need to fret.
Debra, did u see my final comment on Dune/Frank herbert in the other thread? Here it is:
ReplyDeleteAvl Guy said...
Debra,
Oh ye strikes so foul as to bring up that glorious final scene set ‘In The Garden’ in ChapterHouse. Twas the cliffhangers of all cliffhangers...for Frank died on us soon afterwards. Only to have his well-meaning son stir our hopes 20-odd years hence with promises of a final book 'based on Frank's hidden cache of notes'. And to have hopes made brittled from the ages soon dashed asunder by the son's wretched lack of imagination and formulaic hollywoodish writing.
Me rather talk of things ecological.
March 23, 2009 8:05 PM
The Onion explains AIG bonuses
ReplyDeleteYo, can you give me a better picture of what you see the star chamber that runs the world looks like and perhaps we might agree a little more.
ReplyDeleteAnd even if we can't reach agreement on the star chamber's entirety, perhaps we can get at least a "fuzzy" agreement of a few rooms which seem to bother you most?
But I certainly don't see the Jews per say "ruling the world". I may be blind on this one but I just don't see it.
That there is substantial energy being consumed to protect "jewish interests" (whatever they may be), I completely see.
Isn't Debra the one who always talks about the importance of words?
"Manipulation" seems to me a very complex word. I might also suggest it applies to all of us.
Not ruling the world but an important cog in the machine. The military-industrial complex wanted war in Iraq but I doubt they could have pushed the country to it without the help of the MSM which is dominated by you know who.
ReplyDeleteIf you're really interested in understanding this point of view, invest the time in reading Prof. Israel Shahak's book (only 120p including end-notes); it will take your breath away:
Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years
Israel is only a means to an end. Read about the ALLEGED TELEPHONE INCIDENT:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Shahak
and JEWISH LAW:
http://www.cactus48.com/jewishlaw.html
and relying on the above interpretation, Israel was (per an article I read about 12-14 years ago in the Economist of London magazine) the international capital of cashing stolen checks with a separate customs window for couriers at Tel Aviv airport.
"If you're really interested in understanding this point of view..."
ReplyDelete120p is a lot. Aren't there cliff notes?
Again, I ask: what does your star chamber look like?
What cog? What machine?
Your constants and mine seem very different.
I just "don't trust" as many people as you do.
In the end we all share a common enemy- nonexistence.
Look at the two links for the short version. The cog and machine is the same one used for ages; a compliant minority offers its services to the rulers/occupiers to control the majority: court jews in Europe, Tutsis in Rawanda, Kurds in Iraq.
ReplyDeleteYo, assume your view of events is correct (you clearly do).
ReplyDeleteHow would any other version of the star chamber look any better to you?
What version of your view of the world does not have a star chamber?
Does it bother you that your heart, lungs, brain and gut all look different (indeed the cells in them are highly differentiated and look different from each other as well) and perform different (highly specialized) tasks?
They are still all interdependent.
Each dies without the other.
What about a vision of a "compliant minority willing to offer its services" is offensive to you?
You want it to be compliant "majority" willing to offer its services?
Or you simply want to get rid of "rulers/occupiers" so no services are needed?
And if so, I ask you to ask the same question only this time from the point of view of almost every other person on this planet.
Is Yoyomo willing to give up almost everything he has/ever produced to the people of (say) Darfur or Laos?
You may or may not be a rich Americans. But even if you are not, you are still vastly wealthier than the overwhelming majority of people on this planet (even if you are a very poor American).
What holds true from your point of view vs. "rulers/occupiers" also holds true from a Laotians point of view looking at you.
Or is your point of view of "the correct order of things" similar to a friend of mine who frequently likes to joke: "I am the ultimate communist, I absolutely believe no one should ever be richer than me"?
;-)
What is so scary TO YOU about your view of our world that makes you think the world needs changing?
And changing to what?
The world will never change but if common people are aware of the situation then the balance of power will shift more toward the ruled and their lives will be better. As Ralph Nader said, for democracy to work properly the voters must be at least as well informed as sports fans.
ReplyDeleteAs for the oppressed in the Third, I'm the one pestering Hel as to how peachy he is with imperialism. Of course I see 3W peasants as bigger victims of western exploitation. And BTW this is the second time you've insinuated envy on my part; sorry to disappoint you but I've had a pretty easy life, my views are not motivated by any privation in my personal life, it's an ideology.
Not so incidentally I noticed that you completely ignored the main thrust of the two links on Prof. Shahak, specifically that the Talmud allows and even encourages the exploitation of gentiles, not to mention the genocidal passages of the Torah or the express lane at Tel Aviv airport for couriers with suitcases full of stolen checks. Unlike most Christians, many Jews (conservative & orthodox) still regard these passages as operationally valid. Read the two above (Cliff notes) links.
What would my world look like? Pretty much the same as today but with the majority driving a harder bargain with the elite and not too intimidated or embarrassed to confront inconvenient realities in front of polite company. And please don't lecture me on fractal consumption of resources, I already agree that tough rationing choices have to be made starting with population control.
Yo, sorry for the lecturing style. It is just the way I write. I do not mean to insult your intelligence.
ReplyDeleteAll groups are "clannish" to some degree. That does not make them "bad".
That a clan has a few sickos in it does not make the entire clan illegitimate. Most members of a clan look at their nuts as just that- "nuts".
There are (sadly) plenty of white supremacists out there. Looked at from the point of view of an outsider, the existence of skinheads, etc... might be seen as proof of a white/Anglo/wasp plan at evil world domination.
You are being a little unfair to carve out Jews (to say the least).
I could send you links on extreme theology for just about any clan on this planet.
So I am not totally sure what your point is? Is it that Jews have more "evil nuts" than other groups? Or that Jews are more "clannish"?
I don't buy it one bit.
Nothing in my experience has ever led me to see this. In fact there are an awful lot I would be honored to have at my side/in my foxhole if the end of the world is coming.
As for "population control". Care to share any specifics with the rest of us?
Do you propose everyone equally has less kids (e.g we maintain status quo)? Say all families get 1 kid?
What about those with more "expensive kids" (i.e. high resource consumers)?
Or does it only matter how they consume (rather than the total amount) and some types of consumption are more acceptable to you than others?
So heavy consumption of health care and education resources is "OK" but lifestyle consumption, (say consumption in the form of laziness) is not OK? And when does laziness become a health care issue? When does it become genetic? If it is genetic does that matter If it is cultural does that matter?
And should society (i.e. "the collective") expect some kind of ROI for the educational/health care resources it gives people?
Does this expectation only hold for low consumers? high consumers or ANY consumer?
Or can anyone consume away without any societal demands?
Or demands are OK ROI expectation as long as it is health care and education?
And if not, please explain how such an economy would work in the long run?
And how would such an economy "compete" against another economy that did think about ROI?
And without "lecturing", please answer how you would enforce population control?
Would you let the market decide? e.g. If people don't have enough resources they simply died? (I am pretty confident this is not your view)
Would you propose a Chinese nanny state?
Would you enforce your policy through taxes? Through loss of job?
And what if a person didn't pay any taxes? What if they refused to work?
Or would you "simply ask" people to not have so many kids with the hope they oblige?
And again, what about inequities in these kid's consumption? (forget the fractal aspect of that consumption for a moment)
Suppose family A has a child who consumes 3X as many resources as family B's child, does family B get 3X as many children as long as they are 1/3 consumers? Is this fair?
The right to life movement always likes to point out how the ancient Greeks didn't allow abortion- apparently quite true from what I have read.
What they forget to mention is the Greeks actively engaged in infanticide once they were born (e.g. kill "expensive" (deformed) kids and keep cheap (healthy) ones, etc...).
How would you solve these IMPOSSIBLY DIFFICULT problems without a solution?
At some level there are only moral interpretations of our world. Our morals act as reality perception filters just as strongly as "counting passes" filtered our perceptions of what was happening in that video.
It is how the human mind is constructed.
You're a smart guy. You know this.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI missed out on all this discussion, so I'm back, lol.
ReplyDeleteAvi Guy, I DID see your post.
I too would particularly have liked to have Herbert's insight on the Butler Jihad. NOT HIS SON'S...
I just finished a 4 page letter to my former pastor who recommended a 130 page book to me which I have skimmed through, to the conclusion that it is a waste of my time, being a product of sheer intellectual SLOTH.
And you guys want cliff notes for 120 p books ?
I'm VERY VERY DISAPPOINTED.
I wrote him that intellectual sloth will bring down (has brought down...) our country (i.e. sound bite politics).
I maintain that point of view.
Funny how the common resentment of Jewish wealth and power crop up from generation to generation. (I am not anti-semitic...)
But the Jewish people have always been extremely talented with SYMBOLS in all forms. And extremely gifted in their capacity to analyze.
For the very complicated reason that their religion is constructed around the very abstraction of the symbol.
So, when after generations and generations of dealing with abstraction, you become a fish in the waters of abstraction, is it really very surprising that you are in an excellent position to "profit" from the power that the "maniement" (French word that I like BETTER than manipulation, you guys should check out the etymology of manipulation it is fascinating, and VERY VERY IMPORTANT) of symbols confers ?
No conspiracy theories hold in my book.
But, there are DEFINITE reasons why Judaïsm is under attack in Western culture, and part of those reasons are to be found in Judaïsm itself, and can not be totalled pinned on Christian anti-semitism.
I keep harping on Roszak's book, Where the Wasteland Ends, but sorry you guys, it's 300+ pages, with NO CLIFF NOTES...
Good luck.
Thai, I'll compose a response when I have more time but in the mean time for your entertainment:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMz0f-TIc8A&feature=related
My tooth is buzzing again. I think I need to put a little more tin foil in my hat to protect me from those mind control ray beams.
ReplyDelete;-)
Thai,
ReplyDeleteYou do know that there are many "security firms" that now require their employees to have chips implanted subcutaneously as a condition of employment, don't you?
It's been on network evening news, not on Alex Jones' website. As for Aarron Russo being a wingnut, he wasn't postulating his own conspiracy theories, he was repeating what Nick Rockefeller told him. Either he was telling the truth or he was lying; considering the fact that Russo knew he was dying of cancer, I doubt that he had much motive to lie.
If Russo was telling the truth, then Rockefeller couldn't have been lying to him because he outlined the war on terror and the invasion of Iraq & Afghanistan in Nov2000, eleven months before 9/11.
As soon as the election was over and they knew they had the Supreme Court on their side the plan was ready to go. Bush's first Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said that the first cabinet meeting in Feb01 was all about the invasion of Iraq, I guess he was delusional also.
The part of the interview that rang most true to me was the policy of recruitment of successful people into the circle of power. I have been reading articles since the 70's about how the CIA enrolls children of their agents in the same classes with the children of foreign dignitaries when they come to the US for education so that they can groom future coup leaders when they deem it necessary. Look up John Perkins and "Confessions of an Economic Hitman".
Now go get that tooth fixed.
Hmm. The first thing I want to say is (I do Hunger 4 GOD)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where to start. It seems as though neo is not at all fictional. I understand your story to the 5th degree.
I am most interested in NEO's new found knowledge. Why did they pick him to see the truth?
No thanks, I'm not really hungry
but I'll have a double cappuccino
"Fred, here's the Joe you saw on the closed circuit.
Quantum Casino
Feeling particularly frisky
her tag curiously identifying her as GOD
"Lucky Seven" in her sonorous voice
"You noticed 'Quantum', eh?"
"Very few actually do - almost everybody just sees 'Casino'
"How much do you know about quantum physics Neo?
"Look more closely young man", smiled Fred. (Expression rather than word)
God is Only a Dealer
Dane called Nils
perception is everything.
And since they didn't observe him, he simply did not exist -
Neo also grasped what was happening with the blurry dice
collapsing all other possibilities of the probability wave
"We'd like to offer you a"position
OK- get it? The fact that you have no bloggers comprehending the true reason for the blog, tells me Its rare for us to see this phenomenon.
-I hope u understand what i am saying, I would elaborate, but am in fear to do so. please get back to me via email.! q1tmst8@gmail.com