Neo At The Quantum Casino - Part II

Foreword to Part II

According to quantum physics, reality is a probabilistic wave function that collapses into fact only after we observe it. For example, Schrodinger's cat is neither dead nor alive until we open the box and look inside. Thus, perception is everything.
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Neo laughed at Fred's comment about Einstein. Though he himself had studied economics in college his roomate and closest friend was a Dane called Nils who, as it happened, was a physics student with a keen interest in quantum mechanics. Just like Niels Bohr, his famous compatriot .

After getting a crash course on the relative merits of uncertainty and the ERP paradox, he and Nils had spent countless nights debating the Copenhagen interpretation versus Everett's multiverse. So, yeah, Neo knew a thing or two about quantum physics.

Suddenly, he got it. Perception is everything, he chuckled to himself. Most people didn't even see the word Quantum next to Casino because all they cared about was gambling - they didn't bother seeing anything else other than "Casino, so they didn't.

He remembered his experience riding a bicycle to class every day. In one particular spot he had to go against traffic so he rode on the sidewalk, passing by a bus stop. There were usually a few people waiting there, most of them looking in the opposite direction from where he was coming - they were looking for the bus. The problem was that they were blocking his way, so he always rang the bell to warn them. But no one heard him - ever. No matter how close he was and how many times he rang the bell, there seemed to be only deaf people waiting for the bus.

The explanation was quite simple: they didn't expect to hear a biker from the opposite direction, so they didn't hear one. And since they didn't observe him, he simply did not exist - until he drew right next to them and asked politely to go through, causing the probability wave to collapse into the fact of his existence.

Neo also grasped what was happening with the blurry dice: the blonde croupier manufactured reality by announcing the throw. She forced everyone to see a three and four - or any other combination - and thus collapsing all other possibilities of the probability wave into the outcome she wanted.

"It's not a deterministic world, buddy" Neo remembered Nils telling him over and over again. "Reality is created by the way we see things and not the other way around".

Neo snapped out of his thoughts to see Fred smiling at him.

"I sense strongly that you are familiar with the theory of how we operate here. Believe you me, there aren't many people with your ability. Most think the world exists independently of their perception of it. Well, like W.C. Fields said 'Never give a sucker an even break' - and we at the Quantum Casino surely don't. So, I have a proposal for you - do you want to hear it?"

Neo nodded yes.

"We'd like to offer you a"position at our training program, starting as a trainee croupier. The lady that brought you here is a graduate of the program - and her name is Claudia, by the way. What do you say?"

Neo didn't have to think long. He accepted on the spot.

End of Part II