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March 06, 2008
I'm ready to escape said the mardi gras beads
I want to take a moment/an entry to inspect the table on which the beads rested. They weren't completely able to frame both of the strands. One of the golden beads leaned out over the edge. An intrepid mountaineer, strayed too far from safety and only saved from a most certain and painful doom by the permanent hand clasps of his fellow travelers. A simple nudge from some god-like finger would have ruined the constancy of the table's support.
The table was well rounded and pushing that one bead from its place may have led to the whole system being reconfigured on the floor. Had the table been straight, the bead could have been moved without consequence because the collective friction of the strand would have been enough to resist gravity's pull on the bead as the two forces would have been pulling in opposite and parallel directions. However, because of the curve of the table, the falling beads would begin pulling at angles that would approach perpendicularity to the strand. No longer having the collective resistance that they would have when the forces were opposite and parallel, the strand's permanent hand clasp would now lead to its down fall. Like a tug-of-war with someone pulling the wrong direction.
Posted by johlinco at March 6, 2008 03:43 PM
Comments
Ability is such a large contributor to outcomes and configurations, especially with "ability's" close association with (shifting iterations) of possibility. The ability/inability of the table, in the indicated moment, is the outcome of a number of interactions, some more distant than others --spatial distance, time distance, etc.
Also of interest is the simplicity of variable required to alter the system in this version of an "affair of necklaces."
This link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affair_of_the_diamond_necklace
will take you to the history associated with "The Affair of the Diamond Necklace" which is also referred to as "The Affair of the Necklace."
The system of the necklace is vulnerable yet maintains integrity in the absence of external forces. The gaze of the human eye alone, even the combined strength of the human eyes present, did not exert sufficient force to reconfigure the system; little to no positive or negative feedback could be measured, so measurable effects of the gaze were minimal, but intellectual assessment could have been directly shaped via the gaze, your post providing some substantiation of this intellectual impact or effect.
"ecause of the curve of the table, the falling beads would begin pulling at angles that would approach perpendicularity to the strand. No longer having the collective resistance that they would have when the forces were opposite and parallel, the strand's permanent hand clasp would now lead to its down fall. Like a tug-of-war with someone pulling the wrong direction"
--beautifully expressed, and would remain beautiful expression even if the intent and the outcome were exclusively poetry.
Posted by: thyliasm at March 11, 2008 05:42 AM
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