The Story of All of Us

Quantum theory (otherwise known as quantum physics or quantum mechanics) is one of the two main planks of modern physics, along with general relativity, and between them the two theories claim to explain virtually everything about the universe. General relativity gives us our picture of the very big (space-time and gravity), while quantum theory gives us our picture of the very small (atoms and their constituents). Technically, quantum theory is actually the theory of any objects isolated from their surroundings but, because it is very difficult to isolate large objects from their environments, it essentially becomes a theory of the microscopic world of atoms and sub-atomic particles. This is especially true for those parts of the theory which rely on the absolute indistinguishability of fundamental particles, an indistinguishability which is impossible to find in the everyday world of composite, large-scale objects. Quantum theory is used in a huge variety of applications in everyday life, including lasers, CDs, DVDs, solar cells, fibre-optics, digital cameras, photocopiers, bar-code readers, fluorescent lights, LED lights, computer screens, transistors, semi-conductors, super-conductors, spectroscopy, MRI scanners, etc, etc. By some estimates, over 25% of the GDP of developed countries is directly based on quantum physics. It even explains the nuclear fusion processes taking place inside stars. However, some of its findings and principles are distinctly counter-intuitive and fiendishly difficult to explain in simple language, without resorting to complex mathematics way beyond the comfort level of most people (myself included!). This situation is not helped by the fact that the “theory” is largely a patchwork of fragments accrued over the last century or so, that some elements of it are still not well understood by the scientists themselves, and that some of the bizarre behaviour it predicts appears to fly in face of what we have come to think of as common sense. Richard Feynman, winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize for Physics and arguably one of the greatest physicists of the post-war era, is unapologetically frank: “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics”. Niels Bohr, one the main pioneers of quantum theory, claimed that: “Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it”. In the 1920s and 1930s, Bohr, Schrödinger, Heisenberg and others discovered that the atomic world is in fact full of murkiness and chaos, and not the precision clockwork suggested by classical theory. Classical physics can be considered as a good approximation to quantum physics, typically in circumstances with large numbers of particles. Indeed, classical physics has served us well up until the 20th Century, and for most everyday purposes it still does. But modern physics, which includes quantum physics and general relativity, is more all-encompassing, more fundamental and altogether more accurate - physics taken to a different level. Momentum and position, for instance, are approximations of the world of larger-sized things that we call the classical world, but the underlying reality of the quantum world is quite different. As we will see, even a rough understanding of quantum theory requires some background discussion of atomic theory and some discussion of the uncertainty principle before any sense at all can be made of it. Only then will some of the more obscure and bizarre aspects of quantum theory (such as wave-particle duality, superposition, nonlocality, decoherence, etc) make a little more sense.

Thanks, corrected.

Who likes quantum theory?

Who me?

Chapter 8: The Haven, pt. 2

“What. Was. That.” Classic asks flatly. 

Two hours and several conjured frappuccinos later, and I still haven’t gotten over the sight of that thing. And judging from their expressions, neither of my friends have, either.

“We don’t have a name for them,” the Author says quietly. “They’re monsters made up of erased words. Or, in this case, voided words. They destroy worlds because they’re envious of the life others have. Life they no longer possess.” 

We all sit quietly at the thought of this. 

“You three still want to do this, right?” 

I nod. To my surprise, my two copies do, too. 

“Good. Then you’ll be glad to meet your new teammate.” 

“Teammate?” I question. This has a bad feeling to it.

“Yes, teammate. Please allow me to go get him,” the Author says. And he gets up, walks into one of the doors, and disappears.

Shifting characters around is never a good idea when writing a story. Weird things will happen. The flow of your writing has been disrupted.

But, hey. It’s free real estate. 

I pop out of the other side of the doorway and find myself in yet another dining room. Surprise, surprise. 

He’s crouched over a computer, just like I expected him to be. I must admit, he looks so odd wearing my hoodie. 

But that’s how it goes. 

I clear my throat. 

“Cooper,” 

He turns and looks at me. “Who the hell are you? You sure look like Aaron, but shoot me if I’m wrong about you not being him.” 

I chuckle. “What gave it away? The height?” 

“The pencil.” 

“Cooper,” I say. I stretch my hand out. “I’m here to give you the adventure of a lifetime. Care to join?” 

He grins. I see a red knife appear in his hand as if by magic. 

“Hell, yes!” he exclaims. 

“Ok, so remind me again why we need to wear these,” I crab, scratching at the neck of the tight red jumpsuit I’ve shoved myself in. 

“In the year of 2333, this is in fashion,” the Author explains. “In fact, it’s the exact style that I’m sure all your friends are wearing.” 

“So where’s the Joule we need this time?” asks Shifty. Clearly, the Author has brought him up to speed.

“Yeah, that’s the issue,” the Author says, picking at a cuticle. “These futuristic people have found the Joule. They use it to power the entire city they live in with clean, renewable energy. And the power plant is quite jealously protected.” 

“Wait,” asks Classic. “Won’t the Joule run out of energy eventually?” 

“Yes,” says the Author. “After a calculated 2.497 million years of sustaining a thousand cities just like the one it’s sustaining right now.” 

“Now, then. There will be guards. They have these laser guns that, of course, shoot at light speed, so you’re going to have a hard time seeing them coming. Try to stay alert, please.” 

The four of us nod back. 

“And, once again, I REPEAT, use your powers as little as possible. We don’t need yet another world falling.” 

We nod again like bobbleheads. 

“The door is right through there. Head through when you’re ready.”

Chapter 9 will arrive on Saturday, August 17

HAHA! Now you have to subsist on this and the Hammerhead while I take a break from the Indieverse.

Nice

Chapter 9: The Story of the Future

“So this is the future,” Classic says off-handedly. 

“Yeah,” 

There are many unexpected things here. First, it doesn’t seem like there are any streets at all. Everything just seems to be one big sidewalk. For another, the place is still teeming with plant life. I expected all other life to be stamped out by technology, but apparently, we’ve found a way to make it coexist.

And for another, there’s these odd-looking rectangular robots zooming by on the streets - er, sidewalks. 

Each time they pass us, they seem to smile, nod in our general direction, and carry on their way. 

Oh, and one more thing. There’s not another person in sight. 

Just as suddenly as I form that thought, a person comes walking down the street. An adult male, dressed quite similarly to how we are.

“Hey, shouldn’t you kids be in school?” the man asks in a deep voice. 

“We’re in a special program,” Shifty replies immediately. 

The man shrugs and continues his walk.

“School? Oh-kay, we gotta see this,” I exclaim. 

“No!” the other three chorus in sync. “We have a job to do!” 

“Alright, alright, if you hate school that much,” I grumble. “Let’s find the stupid power plant thing and get out of here,”

“Why does Classic always get the map?” I question as we walk down the immaculate sidewalks. 

“Because I’m the damn original,” he relies tartly. 

All further conversation is halted when we reach the power plant. 

I’m hit with a moment of realization, and I’m guessing that my companions are too. This is where the gigantic reservoir of water usually is. 

Instead, a gigantic, sterile building takes its place. I’ve never even seen a building this clean. It’s practically emitting light. 

Outside are more of the robots. These look… more dangerous than the ones patrolling the sidewalks, despite having no discernible differences in appearance. 

“What’s the plan?” asks Shifty. 

“Let’s just bash those guys! How hard could they be to beat?” I exclaim. 

“No! Remember what the Author said about not using our powers?” Swap hisses. “Let’s sneak by them. I’m sure there’s a way?” 

“Sneak?” I protest. “These guys are literally designed to catch people like us trying to sneak past!” 

“I’ve got to agree with Swap,” Classic weighs in. “What, you don’t think that they have the ability to fight, too?” 

And so, the four of us endeavor to sneak into the building. 

It honestly wasn’t that hard, when the four of us work together. Just blast a hole into the side of a building. Quietly. And we’re through. 

We walk through the hallways quietly. Somehow, they’re even cleaner than the exterior. We don’t see a single robot. 

Oh, sure, there are cameras. But when you have the power to summon weapons in midair, it really isn’t that difficult to destroy them. We leave a lab of broken glass in our wake. 

It isn’t that difficult to find our way to the central power source, either. There’s gigantic, easy-to-read maps all over the place. It doesn’t take four geniuses to find out where the power core is.

And we find it. 

Here, at last, is something that actually looks futuristic. There’s two slender, metal rods that connect to the Joule itself, spinning and hovering. A huge bank of screens sits against a wall, with a whole network of buttons and switches next to it. 

“Would the invaders please stand down?” 

We turn. Dozens of the security robots are now facing us, arms pointed, with all sorts of weapons aimed right at us. 

“A trap. Told ya. We should’ve done it my way,” I mutter. 

“W-what do we do?” Poor Shifty. It’s hard to forget that this is his first time with us. 

“I’ll tell ya what.” Classic is grinning. “We blow ‘em sky-high.”

We blow ‘em sky-high.

Chapter 10 comes out next Saturday.

Awesome!

Still remember these neat little stories. f

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