CONTEMPLATING THE EIGHT BALL’S NAVEL

Sometimes when I have nothing more productive to do, I ponder the seemingly incomprehensible complexity of the universe.  It is mindboggling how everything is tied together--everything from the lifecycle of the tiniest organism to the endless space that surrounds us as it stretches into infinity.   It is certain that there are those who worship at the altar of that which is random, and their beliefs are most likely based on observations that appear valid to them.  Without a doubt they maneuver through the day without applying the idea of cause and effect to their surroundings.

I personally thrive on small discoveries, those serendipitous links that knit together the fabric of society in unexpected ways. It is decidedly so.  For example, the subject of the Magic Eight Ball recently popped up during a discussion in one of my AP English classes, so I posted a link to a virtual Eight Ball.  Most of my students admitted that they could not totally place their faith in the random predictions of the sphere.  At least, they acknowledged that they didn’t believe the answers when they were negative.  They all said that when they asked the orb questions for which they hoped to glean a positive response, if they got a negative answer, such as “very doubtful” or “don’t count on it,” they would concentrate and try again.  On the other hand, if the icosahedral die popped up in the murky blue liquid to reveal a positive answer such as “you may rely on it,” or “outlook good,” they felt a certain small relief and a twinge of optimism that at least for the moment, all was right in their tiny universe.  In other words, my students admitted feeling an emotional response to a system in which they had no real belief.  Sometimes it just takes diligence to get to the answer you seek. Sometimes you just have to ask again later.  You see, it takes an average of 72 questions being posed to the Magic Eight Ball for all 20 of its answers to appear at least once.  Of course, the outlook is not so good for the future of those who have so much time on their hands to be able to sit around shaking an Eight Ball indefinitely, or writing a blog that includes all of the possible responses in italics….  As I see it, yes, it is somewhat reassuring to know that of the twenty possible responses, ten are affirmative, five are negative and five are neutral. 

Some people believe that devices such as this black orb are merely an outlet for the answers that reside within each of us.  If they shake the ball knowing the answer is yes, then theoretically, the ball will stop on one of the positive messages such as, yes, definitely.   

But not even the Eight Ball can always respond with confidence.  It must be ultimately disappointing for those seeking truth to end up with one of the noncommital answers such as reply hazy, try again, or cannot predict now.  And really, even though it is in the category with the “maybe” answers, how much more ominous could an answer be than better not tell you now!?!?

Some people need to believe that there is nothing random in the universe. I ask them: is nothing truly left to chance?   My reply is no.  But maybe if I shake that ball one more time…

If you feel the need to shake the Eight Ball and don’t happen to have one handy, just go to the official web site and shake it virtually: http://www.mattelgamefinder.com/demos.asp?demo=mb

 

What this all comes down to is my hunger for seemingly useless information.  Just knowing that the Eight Ball was invented in 1946 by Albert Carter, and that Carter was the son of a clairvoyant gives me a modicum of pleasure.  As does knowing that modicum, in this sense, is synonymous with atom, and that atom comes from the Greek atomos, meaning uncut or indivisible.  Can a universe in which even the language is so interconnected be random?  My sources say no!

The whole idea of things being random has recently been gnawing at me.  This year in our high school yearbook, we attempted to provide each senior with a portion of a page on which to represent themselves for posterity.  They were asked to list four words that described them.  At least half of them responded with “random.”  What does that even mean?  Are they just attempting to appear mysterious and cool?  At a time in their lives when they should be focused on their future, do they realize that they are proceeding, according to their own self-evaluation, without definite aim, reason or pattern? 

This notion reminded me of something I stumbled upon recently—the idea of a mathematical trajectory that consists of taking successive random steps.  It is called a Random Walk.  Now those who have read my blog consistently know that I often walk to my studio and that I almost never walk the same path twice.  I like to shake things up and take note of the unexpected.  So, I came up with the idea that I could possibly take a truly random walk.  In mathematics, a one-dimensional random walk moves as follows:  You flip a coin and if it lands on tails, you move left.  If it lands on heads, you move right.   Suppose then that I start at the end of my driveway and flip a coin to decide in which direction I will start my walk today.  And then every time I come to a corner, I flip and turn accordingly.  Where would I end up?  In theory—it could be anywhere!  So then I started thinking that a random walk would be a very interesting way to raise money for the Image Warehouse nonprofit and simultaneously map the city of Athens.  We could have a Random Walk-a-Thon!  Participants could pair up or get together in small groups.  Everyone could leave from the Image Warehouse at the same time, flipping and turning and walking, until they had executed a certain number of flips.  It would be crazy interesting to see where the walkers ended up and what they saw along the way.  Just an idea…

Today I am going to my studio, not exactly random because strangely enough if I turn right, left, right, left, right, left…that’s where I end up.  Sometimes I wonder if there isn’t an underlying plan that made me chose that location as my workspace.  As the Eight Ball says, signs point to yes…