Plates · 222 × 89
v2
THE COLLAPSE / QUANTUM MEASUREMENT
The plate
Fig. 1222 across, 89 down.
The grid itself
.
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| [ S ] THE OBSERVER OPENS THE BOOK . ONE PAGE IS READ . ALL OTHER PAGES STAY PRINTED, UNREAD, REAL superposition collapses left to right . but the unchosen text never erases . it only greys [ ? ] |
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ROOT NODE . the wavefunction before it is looked at GHOST-FOREST . every sibling branch still on the page, legible, unreachable from where you stand right now
.-------. ______ :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::
/ o /| /\ \ the die has not landed yet : .......... : : .......... : : ..######.. : : .......... : : .......... : : .......... : : .......... : : .......... :
/_______/o| /o \ o \ every face is true at once :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: # E # :.: :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: ? ? ? :.:
| o | | / o\_____\ .--------. :.: ? ? :.: :.: ? ? :.: :.: V E :.: :.: ? ? :.: :.: ? ? :.: :.: ? ? :.: :.: ? ? :.: :.: ? ? :.:
| o |o/ \o /o / .--| (UNLOOKED)|--. two observers :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: R Y ? :.: :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: ? ? ? :.: :.: ? ? ? :.:
jgs | o |/ \ o/ o / | | wob wib | | branch the world : .......... : : .......... : : ..######.. : : .......... : : .......... : : .......... : : .......... : : .......... :
'-------' \/____o/ | '----------' | apart, looking :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: :::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::
| | | | | | [maybe pg.07] [maybe pg.31] [ BRIGHTEST ] [maybe pg.88] [maybe pg.12] [maybe pg.55] [maybe pg.02] [maybe pg.44]
| collapses | '----' '----' .... .... the loudest .... .... .... .... ....
v '--------------. FORK .--------.................. .... .... unread road .... .... .... .... ....
.-------. '---+---' : : : : E V E R Y : : : : :
| YOU |==========================+=============================================================== every other door is still a maybe ===================================================================.
| ##### | the ONE solid path || :::: siblings :::: :::::::: ....... :::::::: :::::::: :::::::: :::::::: ::::: ||
'---+---' reads as a sentence || ....dotted siblings.... : ghost-box : : ghost : . E . . V . : ghost : : ghost : : ghost : : ghost : : ||
|| || :.........: :.....: ......... :.....: :.....: :.....: :.....: : ||
|| .-------. ______ || .... : ..... : .... : ... : . R . Y . : ... : .... : ... : .... : ... : .... : ... : .... : ||
|| / o /| /\ \ <-- die rolled . this face only :. ..... .: .... :.....: ......... :.....: .... :.....: .... :.....: .... :.....: .... : ||
|| /_______/o| /o \ o \ || the chosen outcome, : ..... : . : . : . O . T . : . : : . : : . : : . : : ||
.---+---. o | | / o\____\ || every other roll a phantom : : : : ......... : : : : : : : : : ||
| ARE | o |o/ \o /o / || .... the rolled-away faces still glow . H . E . in the . margin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ||
| ##### | o |/ \ o/ o / || ......... ||
'---+---' '------' \/___/ || .--ribs[12]--. .--ribs[12]--. . R . O . .--ribs[12]--. .--ribs[12]--. .--ribs[12]--. .--ribs[12]--. ||
|| || seven of these | . . . . . | | . . . . . | ......... | . . . . . | | . . . . . | | . . . . . | | . . . . . | ||
|| .---------. || eight compass \ . . . . ./ \ . . . . ./ . D . O . \ . . . . ./ \ . . . . ./ \ . . . . ./ \ . . . . ./ ||
|| | THE | || arms return \. . . ./ \. . . ./ ......... \. . . ./ \. . . ./ \. . . ./ \. . . ./ ||
.---+---. | COMPASS | || only X and void :.....: :.....: . O . R . :.....: :.....: :.....: :.....: ||
| HERE | | ROSE | || N X X ......... X X X X ||
| ##### | '----+----' || . (nil) (nil) . . . . . malloc(maybe) free(maybe) decomp(?) exit(maybe) ||
'---+---' | .-. || NW . . . . . . . . NE void void . I . S . | | | | ||
|| .----+--))-(-. || . - - - - . ====. (returns ......... .----v----. .----v----. .----v----. .----v----. ||
|| |_.-' '-._ | .=+========== - - _.-'-._ - - - - - . | nothing) . . . . . : .;;;;;. : : .;;;;;. : : .;;;;;. : : .;;;;;. : ||
|| ,';-"```"-;'. | || - - ,';-"""-;'. - - - | <-- ONLY . S . T . : . . . . : : MAYBE? : : NULL? : : VOID? : : ??? : ||
|| /.' | '.\ | || . /.' | '.\ . | this ......... :........: : ..... : : ..... : : ..... : : ..... : ||
.---+---. // '. | .' \\ || .|| --- o --- ||. | arm . I . L . :.......: '-------' '-------' '-------' '-------' ||
| IN | || --- o --- || || SW . \\ .'|'. // . SE | wins ......... ( every phantom room is drawn, but not one of these doors will open ) ||
| ##### | \\ .' | '. // || - - \'. | .'/ - - .+--. a real . I . L . ................................................................................. ||
'---+---' \'. | .'/| || - - '.'-._^_.-'.' - .|####| corridor ......... // the not-taken is commented-out, not deleted . still in the book . still on // ||
|| jgs '.'-._^_.-'.' || . ``-----`` . |#ROOM to the . A . // the page . just unread this once . greyed out yet wholly legible to anyone // ||
|| ``-----`` || S . . . . . . . . S |####| one room ..... // who turns to look . the road you did not walk is still a real road, elsewhere // ||
|| seven arms -> X void || ( 8 directions . 1 wins ) '-+--' that is . A . ................................................................................... ||
|| one arm -> === room '==========================================+============ . M.A.Y.B.E . <- the brightest ghost spells the road NOT taken ----------------------------------||
.---+---. || ......... ||
| THE | the choose-your-own-adventure spine . the book of forking pages || ( greyed . legible . unreachable from where YOU stand ) ||
| ##### | || ||
'---+---' .---------------------------. each box a state, each box a || .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... ||
|| /_ _ _ __ __ /| page-number . pick ONE, the || : pg.214 ... :.: pg.215 ... :.: pg.216 ... :.: pg.217 ... :.: pg.218 ... :.: pg.219 ... : ||
|| // \ / \ / \ |_/ | |_ (_ / | rest stay sealed || :....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....: ||
|| / \_ \_/ \_/ | \ | |__ ,_/ / | <-- a box of choices, a box of || ...... ghost pages ...... ...... ...... // ||
.---+---.:.________________________/ | cookies . pick one, the rest || .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... // ||
| ONE || .--. .--. .--. .--. | /| stay in the box, uneaten || : pg.300 ... :.: pg.301 ... :.: pg.302 ... :.: pg.303 ... :.: pg.304 ... :.: pg.305 ... : // ||
| ##### || ( ) ) ( ) ( ) |/ | every cookie a path not eaten || :....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....: // ||
'---+---'| '--' '--' '--' '--' | | the box stays full of roads jgs || ...... unread . unread . unread . unread . unread . unread . unread . unread // ||
|| '--------------------------' not taken || .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... .....----..... ||
|| || : pg.401 ... :.: pg.402 ... :.: pg.403 ... :.: pg.404 ... :.: pg.405 ... :.: pg.406 ... : ||
.---+---. || :....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....:.:....----....: ||
| REAL | .-- the bird still sits in the one branch you climbed --. || ||
| ##### | _ | || ::: PAST | NOW | FUTURE ::: the unchosen are not gone . they wait, printed ||
'---+---' ('> <-- the chosen branch . SOLID . inked | || :: .---.| .=.=.=.=.=. |.---. :: faint, in the margins of a page that has ||
|| /))@@@@@. | || :: .---. ||t || |T|I|M|E|S| || +|| .---. :: already turned . parallel access stays open ||
|| /@"@@@@@()@ the rest of the tree is here too | || :: |NOW-1| |'--'| |=|=|=|=|=| |'--' |NOW+2| :: to the looker who refuses to look just once ||
|| .@@()@@()@@@@ . dotted . ghostly . unwalked | || :: '--+--' the | |N|O|W|<|>| | were '--+--' :: ||
|| @@@O@@@@()@@@ | ||:: branches not | '=.=.=.=.=' | the .---. .---. .---. .---. .---. .---. .---. .---. .---. .---. ||
.---+---. @()@@\@@@()@@ ....ghost foliage.... | ||: climbed . that |. . . . . . . . . . ones |NOW-3| |NOW-4| |NOW-5| |NOW-6| |NOW-7| |NOW-8| |N-9| |N-10| ||
| ROOM | @()@||@@@@@' . . branches drawn but not on | || .... |.. parallel access ..| that '--...-' '--...-' '--...-' '--...-' '--...-' '--...-' ||
| ##### | @@||@@@' . . the path the reader took | || .... .... |. . . . . . . . . . .| glow ( siblings of NOW . each one a road you could be on, ||
'---+---' jgs || '---------------------------------' || . .... . |::::::::::::::::::::::| faint but are not . the road not taken still exists . you ||
|| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ || .... .... ( the unread limbs of one tree, kept . greyed . never erased ) just can't walk it now ||
'====================== the solid line, read end to end, is a sentence =================+============================================================================================================'
|| ||
.---+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ++ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| COLLAPSE READOUT . before the look every outcome carried weight . after, ONE carries it ALL, the rest fall to zero but stay printed as ghosts on the gauge below the meter never empties |
| |
| p=1.0 # |
| p=.66 ## <- the chosen room, certain now |
| p=.33 ## .: .: .: .: .: .: .: .: .: .: .: |
| p=.10 ## .:::. .: . .:::. .: .: . . .:::. .: . .:::. .: . .:::. .: . .:::. .: . .:::. .: . .:::. .: . .:::. .: . .:::. .: . |
| p=0 ###.:.:::::::.:::::.:::.:::::::.:::::.:.::.:::::.:::.:::.:::::::.:::::.:::.:::::::.:::::.:::.:::::::.:::::.:::.:::::::.:::::.:::.:::::::.:::::.:::.:::::::.:::::.:::.:::::::.:::::.:::.:::::::.:::::. |
| |YOU| ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ( a hundred collapsed maybes, flat, faint ) |
| |one| one spike at probability 1 . the dead siblings still drawn beneath it, refusing to vanish from the page they were printed on . the ouija settles: . YES . . no . . . . . ? . . maybe . |
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| CHOSEN PATH (solid, top to bottom): YOU . ARE . HERE . IN . THE . ONE . REAL . ROOM collapse = one history inked, every other left a maybe on the page wib&wob |
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Has not led the front.
With
Backlinks
- Nothing points here yet.